Oregon Connections Conference

In the last week of October, CUB staff headed up the Gorge to attend the 16th annual Oregon Connections Conference in Hood River. The conference focus was “Oregon Broadband: The Power of Adoption.” This day and a half long event was filled with enlightening discussion and helpful insight into the future of broadband in Oregon, the policies that may affect broadband both nationally and statewide, and the opportunities and barriers for moving forward with broadband deployment and adoption.

CUB Executive Director, Bob Jenks, participated in a panel about Broadband and the Oregon Universal Service Fund (OR-USF). Moderator Ed Parker, challenged the panelists with questions about the barriers, opportunities and ways to apply the OR-USF to broadband. Overall, the panelists were in agreement that some mechanism needs to be developed to promote broadband availability for all Oregonians. A recent FCC decision will affect the timeliness and manner in which national USF funds are allocated to support broadband deployment—which could potentially affect policies made at the state level.

To top off a great conference, Bob was honored by Oregon Connections as the “2011 Outstanding Telecommunications Advocate” for his tireless efforts defending basic service for Oregonians, his involvement in USF discussions and policy, and especially his advocacy which helped to create funding for an Oregon Telecommunications Consumer Information Center, now more fluently known as CUB Connects. CUB Connects helps Oregonians compare phone and internet services in their area while providing consumers addition information and support through the helpline and workshops.

Stay tuned—CUB looks to have an update on these developments in the coming weeks as details emerge and analysis of the changes takes place.

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