<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Please consider completing this survey. Oregon's new broadband office will be using to develop business cases for broadband deployment in Oregon's unserved or underserved area. Very important for our health care community.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Thanks,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Cathy</div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Business Oregon</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:business.oregon@oregon4biz.com">business.oregon@oregon4biz.com</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, Nov 14, 2019 at 1:52 PM<br>Subject: NEWS RELEASE // Study Aims to Improve Broadband in Oregon<br>To: Britain <<a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com">csbritain@gmail.com</a>><br></div><br><br><u></u>
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Business Oregon is conducting a statewide assessment of Oregon’s current broadband infrastructure and service availability.
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<tbody><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top" align="left" style="padding:0;text-align:left"><div style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a id="m_3732958089610500916ct0_0" href="http://development.oregon4biz.com/acton/ct/14786/s-0360-1911/Bct/q-0b57/l-0007:2825/ct0_0/1?sid=TV2%3AuOuaf0lLd" target="_blank"><img id="m_3732958089610500916r-520941" border="0" style="font-size:12px" src="http://development.oregon4biz.com/cdnr/84/acton/cx/39c2/logo73.jpg" alt="Business Oregon logo" title="Business Oregon logo" width="600" height="111"></a></div></td></tr>
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<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%;margin-bottom:16pt">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>November 14, 2019</p>
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<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:18pt;margin-bottom:0;line-height:150%"><strong> Study Aims to Improve Broadband in Oregon</strong></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">Business Oregon is conducting a statewide assessment of Oregon’s current broadband infrastructure and service availability. The assessment will help drive public policy regarding gaps in broadband access, the need for state funding, and strategies for deploying broadband infrastructure statewide.</span></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">Broadband is increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure for economic and community development. Earlier this year, the Oregon Broadband Office was established in statute with legislative directives to track the availability of broadband services and help make the business case for broadband investment in unserved and underserved areas to close Oregon’s “digital divide.”</span></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">We’re asking both households and businesses to help in the assessment by completing a simple questionnaire developed in partnership with our consultants, Strategic Networks Group. The few minutes it takes to complete the online survey can help make future broadband improvements across the state, particularly in rural areas.</span></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">Business Oregon asks that you provide your input today, or at the latest by December 15, 2019 by going to </span><a style="color:#006699;text-decoration:underline;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%" id="m_3732958089610500916ct1_0" href="http://development.oregon4biz.com/acton/ct/14786/s-0360-1911/Bct/q-0b57/l-0007:2825/ct1_0/1?sid=TV2%3AuOuaf0lLd" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">www.broadband.oregon.gov</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">, clicking on the Broadband Assessment link, and completing the survey. On that website, you can also find other resources Business Oregon has in our work to advance broadband availability across Oregon.</span></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">A report on findings will be posted at the end of January 2020.</span></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><strong>About Business Oregon</strong><br>Business Oregon is the state's economic development agency, investing in Oregon businesses, communities, and people to promote a globally competitive, diverse, and inclusive economy. The agency's services span rural community development and infrastructure financing; business retention, expansion and recruitment; export promotion and international trade; investments in industry research and development and entrepreneurship; small business assistance; and support for arts and cultural organizations.</p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%">About Strategic Networks Group</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;line-height:150%"><br> Founded in 1998, Strategic Networks Group (SNG) brings together industry experts and specialists to help communities and regions address the economic, social, and connectivity challenges of enhanced essential services (smart city technologies) and digital infrastructure. Today SNG is globally recognized as the leader in helping clients understand and drive economic and community benefits from investing in digital infrastructure and smart city initiatives. SNG works with communities and regions across North America and internationally, as well as federal government agencies, utilities, and economic and regional development agencies. SNG is recognized as the world leader in the econometrics of digital infrastructure and maximizing the benefits from online applications. Applying their proven methodologies across the globe, they help countries, states, counties, and municipalities maximize the impacts of digital infrastructure investments.</span></p>
<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;margin-top:30px;line-height:150%"><strong> Contact </strong> : <a style="color:#006699;text-decoration:underline;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11pt" href="mailto:nathan.buehler@oregon.gov" target="_blank"> Nathan Buehler</a>, 503-689-3559</p>
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<p style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:150%;font-size:9pt"><strong>Business Oregon,</strong> the state's economic development agency, invests in Oregon businesses, communities, and people to promote a globally competitive, diverse, and inclusive economy. The agency's services span rural community development and infrastructure financing; business retention, expansion and recruitment; export promotion and international trade; investments in industry research and development and entrepreneurship; small business assistance; and support for arts and cultural organizations. Learn more at <a style="color:#006699;text-decoration:underline;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:150%;font-size:9pt" id="m_3732958089610500916ct0_1" href="http://development.oregon4biz.com/acton/ct/14786/s-0360-1911/Bct/q-0b57/l-0007:2825/ct0_1/1?sid=TV2%3AuOuaf0lLd" target="_blank">www.oregon4biz.com</a></p>
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<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10px;line-height:100%"><p style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10px;margin-top:20px;line-height:14px"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt">Copyright © 2017 Business Oregon</span><br><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt">Our address is </span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;color:#0093d0">775 Summer St NE, Suite 200, Salem, OR 97301, USA</span><br><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt"> </span><br><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt">If you do not wish to receive future emails, <a style="color:#006699;text-decoration:underline;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt" href="http://development.oregon4biz.com/acton/rif/14786/s-0360-1911/-/l-0007:2825/q-0b57/zout?sid=TV2%3AuOuaf0lLd" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#0093d0;font-size:8pt">update your preferences here</span></a>.</span><br><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt">(You can also send your request to <strong>Customer Care</strong> at the street address above.)</span></p></span>
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</div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Catherine S. Britain, Executive Director</div>
<div>Telehealth Alliance of Oregon</div><div><a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com" target="_blank">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br>541-910-7366</div>
<div><a href="http://www.ortelehealth.org" target="_blank">www.ortelehealth.org</a></div>
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