In a landmark moment for rural connectivity — and for the contractors who will build it — Oregon’s Broadband Office announced it had received a $689 million federal grant to finally bring high-speed internet access to rural parts of the state, with hundreds of millions of dollars now dedicated to satellite and fiber internet programs that will begin construction in late 2026. The grant targets the approximately 84,000 Oregon households that still have no internet access whatsoever — a group that would form the state’s second-largest city if concentrated in one place — with the largest internet desert being Lake County in Southern Oregon, where 23% of households have no connectivity. Oregon’s Broadband Deployment Program requires that all funded projects deliver reliable 100/100 Mbps service and that construction and deployment be completed by September 30, 2026 for current awardees, while the larger BEAD-funded projects will begin mobilizing later this year. For civil, underground utility, and telecom contractors across rural Oregon, this grant represents one of the most significant new construction pipelines to emerge in the state in years — with work distributed across every corner of the state. WSDOTWSDOT

Source URL: https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2026/05/09/new-funding-will-kickstart-internet-infrastructure-in-rural-oregon-heres-where-its-needed-most/