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QuickTake:
Lane Council of Governments has dedicated millions of dollars to expand broadband internet to rural communities. As federal programs are cut, the local effort is more important than ever.
Over the past five years, Oregon has dedicated millions of dollars to expanding broadband internet reach throughout the state.
One of these programs is the Lane Council of Governments’ $8.5 million Broadband Deployment Program (BPD), announced earlier this year. The program collaborates with local governments, utility districts and internet service providers to distribute funds and build out high-speed broadband internet infrastructure to local rural communities.
The program’s director, Michael Dehart, emphasized how crucial broadband access is for Lane County residents.
“You need internet access to get health care. You need it to keep up with family. You need it to do your homework,” Dehart said. “It’s an essential part of modern life.”
According to the FCC, which defines broadband internet speeds as higher than 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and 20 Mbps download speeds, about 91% of households in Lane County have access to broadband internet.
While areas of central Eugene have nearly complete coverage, some areas such as Cheshire and Fall Creek dip as low as 20%. These areas are mostly rural and were targeted by the Broadband Deployment Program.
Program administrators use a scoring system to rank and select internet providers that operate in underserved rural areas and are willing to provide their services at a lower price.
This is a sharp departure from how internet providers have traditionally decided where to build out their infrastructure.
Victor Villegas, current chair of the Oregon Broadband Equity Coalition, sees how profit considerations often create a broadband inequity.
“For ISPs, internet service providers, it’s not necessarily profitable for them to put out fiber. It’s very expensive, and some of these places are very inaccessible,” Villegas said. “It’s easy if it’s flat ground, but in Oregon, as you know, we have a lot of mountainous terrain (and) hard to get to places.”
Ordinarily, programs such as the Broadband Deployment Program wouldn’t be the sole operation bridging the digital divide among local Oregon communities. Programs such as the Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program are federal initiatives that also allocate funds to local internet service providers to promote broadband access.
Funding for these federal programs has been put on hold, however, making local programs more critical than ever. The pause in federal support has also left advocates, such as Villegas, looking for alternative sources of funding.
“That’s our biggest challenge now … right now, we’re looking at inviting foundations to come in and see where we can collaborate,” Villegas said.
According to BDP, as of May, all funds have been awarded to agencies and construction is underway. All projects under the program are expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2026.
“There’s going to be a lot of trucks rolling down county roads, putting fiber on poles and putting fiber into trenches this summer,” Dehart said. “So if you see a truck and they’re all working hard, don’t bother them. They’ve got work to do.”
