Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Instant unlimited access to all of our content on tillamookheadlightherald.com.
The Headlight Herald E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street!
This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers.
(The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement)
Read all the news online FREE, for 30 days at no charge. After the trial period we’ll bill your credit card just $8 per month.
(The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement)
The Headlight Herald delivered to your mailbox each week. This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING subscribers.
Includes full access to all of our online content, and our E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street!
(The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement)
This subscription will allow current subscribers of The Tillamook Headlight Herald to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area.
NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN
If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please call us at 1-(503) 842-7535 or email admin@countrymedia.net.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Welcome! Enjoy your FREE content and please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Your last FREE article. Log-in or SUBSCRIBE to continue reading.
Your last FREE article. Log-in or SUBSCRIBE to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! Please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Thank you for reading! Please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Thank you for reading! Please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Thank you for reading! Please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Thank you for reading! Please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Thank you for reading! Please support our site. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Checking back? Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
Mostly clear. Low 52F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..
Mostly clear. Low 52F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tillamook County is taking action and paving the road towards better broadband connectivity and digital inclusion with projects in the rural areas
Friday, February 18, the Tillamook Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), Tillamook Lightwave, Tillamook People's Utility District (PUD) and the Port of Tillamook Bay met together to discuss how to finally bring Internet service to residents and businesses that don’t currently have access.
County leaders have been talking about doing this for 20 years, at the meeting the groups came to a consensus on how to move forward. They plan to form an expert task force and assign them the goal of implementing a hybrid public/private fiber optic Internet system.
Tillamook County Commissioner David Yamamoto said, “Fast affordable Internet is a necessity.” He added, “We have those who win and those who don’t win on this issue. The rural places are the losers and they are very far behind.”
The pandemic has highlighted this issue like never before. With schools going online, parents without Internet at home found themselves parking near a school or a library to get connection for their children to learn.
Worse yet, back in 2020, a reported 100 of the approximately 300 students at Liberty Elementary School didn’t receive any kind of education from the beginning of the school year until Christmas because one third of parents weren’t able to provide their child with access to the web.
“This is going to be a long term, expensive project but it’s necessary, we have a solid fiber backbone across the county,” Yamamoto said.
Samantha Goodwin, the broadband coordinator fellow at Tillamook County Board of Commissioners said, “Oregon Broadband Advisory Committee found that our rural communities have 5-years to get up to the level that we need, or else we are going to fall too far behind to be able to catch up.”
So, how long will it take?
There is a lot of federal money coming down the pipeline to fund these projects. Goodwin said, “I think they are going to be fast. The next 5 years is the obligation to get the funding out, of course everyone wants it now.”
In addition to federal money, community leaders are applying for grant money that can supply 1,000 households that are currently un-served with reliable, fast and inexpensive Internet in the next year.
“I think we could see money arrive in our community in about 2-years. As far as build-outs go, if we have the funds and personnel ready to go, barring any continued supply chain issues, they can lay a lot of miles of fiber in a day,” Goodwin said.
Providing access to Internet gives a myriad of community benefits, some that wouldn’t initially come to mind. For instance, this could improve our healthcare system by providing reliable Internet to patients in home for virtual visits, people in rural emergency situations, access to doctors for those incarcerated and for those who yearn for mask-less conversations.
In addition, these improvements will make advancements in the county economy by removing the digital divide and provide the option for high performing remote workers to live in more rural areas.
In the past, local governments that have rolled out fiber, essentially stepping on the toes of the “big boys” like Spectrum and CenturyLink, has caused complications. The boards jointly decided they will work to figure out a hybrid “public/private” system.
Yamamoto said, “Other counties have found a path forward, we will also find a path forward.”
View our 8-30-22 E-Edition right here!
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
1. Be Civil. No bullying, name calling, or insults. 2. Keep it Clean and Be Nice. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. 3. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. 4. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. 5. Be Proactive. Let us know of abusive posts. Multiple reports will take a comment offline. 6. Stay On Topic. Any comment that is not related to the original post will be deleted. 7. Abuse of these rules will result in the thread being disabled, comments denied, and/or user blocked. 8. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Send us your news, photos, and videos and let us know what's going on!
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Send us your news, photos, and videos and let us know what's going on!
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Subscribe for just $60.00/year, or claim your FREE access if you are already a subscriber.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription