Expanding Broadband in Portland (OR), The Time Is Now

Our local and regional governments have a responsibility to provide equitable, accessible, and affordable fast-internet service to every home and business—just like electricity, water, and waste removal. Portland (OR) has existing infrastructure that can be used to provide affordable access to fast internet for all Portlanders: a publicly owned dark fiber network used for essential city services—IRNE (Integrated Regional Network Enterprise) Net. Expanding and opening access to IRNE Net would encourage the growth of new local internet service providers (ISPs), provide a new source of revenue for the City of Portland, and create the means through which to give Portlanders affordable access to high-speed internet, in every home and business. Residents need to start now to educate the new City Council representatives on how to change the way of doing business in city government. It is possible to reclaim power from the Big Tech internet providers in Portland, and offer truly fast, affordable internet service to every Portland home and business. It is time to create fast-internet infrastructure in the Portland Metropolitan region that is treated as a public good for the public good.