<div><p>The Oregon Broadband Office will be accepting applications for the Broadband Technical Assistance Program beginning on January 2, 2024. </p><p>With funding from the Broadband Fund, transferred from the Universal Service Fund pursuant to ORS 759.425, BTAP offers support to local and regional planning efforts developing broadband financing and deployment strategies for unserved and underserved locations in Oregon. </p><p>Applications for grant funding will be considered for eligible planning and pre-construction activities, staffing, and grant application support. Successful applications may be awarded a maximum of $150,000 per county included in the application. Municipalities, electric co-operatives, non-profit organizations, municipal affiliates, each of the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, and internet service providers in partnership with any of the listed entities are encouraged to apply. </p><p>Eligible applicants may apply alone, as part of a regional partnership, as part of a public-private partnership, or as part of an existing formal or informal partnership. Applications that include multiple collaborating entities must designate a single eligible organization or entity as the lead and fiscal sponsor for the application. </p><p>Applications must be submitted by February 2, 2024 at 5 p.m. PT in order to receive consideration for grant funding. A grant application review committee will review all applications and make recommendations to the Oregon Broadband Office based upon the scoring criteria outlined in the <a href="https://biznews.oregon.gov/acton/ct/14786/s-06f4-2312/Bct/q-0b57/l-0007:53da/ct1_0/1/lu?sid=TV2:kiiJIqINk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Program Handbook</a>. </p><p>For additional information on how to apply, please visit <a href="https://biznews.oregon.gov/acton/ct/14786/s-06f4-2312/Bct/q-0b57/l-0007:53da/ct2_0/1/lu?sid=TV2:kiiJIqINk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.broadband.oregon.gov</a> and feel free to contact your region’s Broadband Project Coordinator for support in the application process by emailing <a href="mailto:broadband.oregon@biz.oregon.gov" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">broadband.oregon@biz.oregon.gov</a>. Please include "BTAP Assistance" in the subject line of your email. </p></div>

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In Oregon, applications open for broadband technical assistance program 

<div>Despite being created five years ago, Oregon's state broadband office is woefully understaffed and underprepared to receive and distribute up to $1 billion in federal broadband grant funding from the <a href="https://broadband.money/broadband-grant-terms/broadband-equity-access-and-deployment-program">Broadband Equity, Access And Deployment Program (BEAD)</a>, according to a new audit reported on by <a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/01/12/audit-oregon-broadband-office-not-prepared-for-federal-infrastructure-grants/">Oregon Capital Chronicle</a>. <br><br>The audit completed recently from the Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division noted that the broadband office, created in 2018, had only one employee until very recently, and that it does not have an accurate assessment of the broadband coverage  — and lack thereof — among Oregonians. <br><br>As the audit notes: "Without an accurate picture of Oregon’s current broadband infrastructure deployment and utilization status, it is difficult for the Broadband Office to identify the areas in most need of service and strategically target its efforts."<br><br>However, a study commissioned in 2020 prior to the pandemic found that 1.7 million Oregonians lived in places that were <a href="https://broadband.money/broadband-grant-terms/unserved-location">unserved</a> or <a href="https://broadband.money/broadband-grant-terms/underserved-location">underserved</a> by broadband internet providers, though where exactly the respondents lived or hoped to get service is unclear. </div><div><br>Read the full article on the issue over at <a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/01/12/audit-oregon-broadband-office-not-prepared-for-federal-infrastructure-grants/">Oregon Capital Chronicle</a>.</div>

Oregon broadband office not properly staffed to handle BEAD funding, audit finds

Daniel Holbrook

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In Oregon, applications open for broadband technical assistance program

Oregon broadband office not properly staffed to handle BEAD funding, audit finds

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