The State Broadband in the State of Oregon

Gigabit Nation

[Tech glitch zapped the last 25 min. We're going to have a do-over and record that part again.] There’s a lot going on in broadband in Oregon. Communities such as Sandy are upgrading their infrastructure significantly, or planning their initial networks. Co-op are energized and several of them are planning to launch broadband initiatives. The rural telephone companies are providing creative solutions that are getting communities connected. Joseph Franell, General Manager and CEO of Eastern Oregon Telecom, discusses some of the opportunities and the challenges that communities face here in the state. Gigabit Nation is broadcasting live from the Oregon Connections Telecommunications Conference, which draws statewide attendees to share ideas, experiences and knowledge about telecommunications. Franell and Gigabit Nation host Craig Settles highlight: some of the challenges with bridging the broadband divide in education;addressing the urban/rural divide;what is the "right" model to deploy gigabit networks in rural markets;how has the USF/ICC reform impacted rural carriers and how are they moving forward;what are the pluses and minuses of the Google Fiber model. Sandy, OR’s move to gigabit broadband is one of the many case stories in Settles’ new book, Building the Gigabit City, Vol. 2.