State Capacity Building:

The Public Utility Commission of Oregon (PUC) in partnership with the Governor’s state broadband council (Oregon Broadband Advisory Council) will assess needs and create long-term goals for the state and local communities. The PUC will request feedback from local communities and will also collaborate across all state agencies to ensure ownership by all stakeholders.

Technical Assistance:

The PUC plans to develop a program that, through the use of broadband and technology, will help ensure the long-term survival of Oregon’s rural small businesses. By providing much-needed technical assistance to rural businesses in partnership with the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network (OSBDCN), will support small businesses that require broadband-based and technology skills training in order to continue their growth and compete regionally in a global marketplace. OSBDCN will provide focused training to help these organizations incorporate broadband and IT into their businesses. Participants will receive technology training in areas such as technology planning, web-enabled supply chain dynamics, and online analytics.

Application Usage and Development:

This proposed partnership with the Association of Oregon Counties provides technical training and consulting on e-government and broadband applications to local governments throughout the state to accelerate their adoption of new web applications. The state has made it a key priority to improve access to the informational benefits of broadband to citizens and increase demand. Specific examples of improvements could include online bill pay, online access to public meetings, and online commenting on public policy as well as proceedings.

Data Collection, Integration, and Validation:

This project was originally funded for broadband planning activities and two years of data collection. In September of 2010, this project was amended to extend data collection activities for an additional three years and to identify and implement best practices.