Warm Springs to develop strategic broadband plan

Four Oregon communities will participate in the Oregon Broadband Outreach and Strategic Planning Project to create strategic broadband plans for their citizens in order to help increase broadband adoption and utilization across the state.

The four communities participating are the City of Eugene, City of Sandy, Wasco County and City of The Dalles, and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The project begins this month and the strategic plans will be completed by the end of April 2013.

Business Oregon will provide training, technical assistance and financial support to each selected community in order to facilitate and support the development of a broadband strategic plan that advances the individual community’s economic and community development goals through the utilization of broadband technology and services.

The community strategic plans will promote access to broadband infrastructure and address barriers to adoption and utilization. Participating in the project is an opportunity for communities to connect their local economic development, education, healthcare and community efforts to State and federal initiatives. The project will bring together community leaders to develop the plan and further community goals through broadband utilization.

Oregon was awarded a federal grant of $5.6 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to support mapping and planning for broadband growth and adoption. As a part of that grant, the Oregon Business Development Department on behalf of the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council is implementing the Oregon Broadband Outreach and Strategic Planning Project to develop eight local community plans to accelerate broadband utilization. Four additional communities will be recruited to go through the planning process next year.

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The Oregon Business Development Department, Business Oregon, works to create, retain, expand and attract businesses that provide sustainable, living-wage jobs for Oregonians through public-private partnerships, leveraged funding, and support of economic opportunities for Oregon companies and entrepreneurs. Visit www.oregon4biz.comfor more information on doing business in Oregon.