Oregon Partners with One Economy, BroadMap, New America and Sanborn for State-Wide Broadband Mapping and Planning

(Washington, D.C.) December 30, 2009—The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced that Oregon will be receiving $1.6 million for broadband mapping and $500,000 for broadband planning. The federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) will clear the way for Oregon to more accurately identify the State’s digital divide and help focus future efforts to close the gaps.

Through the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), the State has partnered with One Economy Corporation, BroadMap, Sanborn and the New America Foundation to create a comprehensive State-wide broadband availability map and enable its planning efforts.

“These Recovery Act dollars will help create a vital link to technology—and to information—for communities across the State,” said Governor Ted Kulongoski. “I am pleased to be launching this effort to see that Oregonians, especially students, have access to the Internet and the educational benefits it provides.”
The Recovery Act has allotted $7.2 billion for the development and expansion of broadband nationwide, $350 million of which is set aside for the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA) to enable States and Territories to develop granular and transparent broadband serviceability maps.

“We have known there is a digital divide in Oregon, but have not had the money or authority to address it,” Oregon Public Utility Commission Chairman Lee Beyer said. “With this federal grant, we will do the mapping to confirm which areas of the State lack high-speed Internet access and start down the road of assuring access by all Oregonians.”

One Economy will devote the majority of its planning efforts to understand what barriers are preventing people from using broadband by engaging at the community level and gathering important information from the people who live there. This “Digital Inclusion Blueprint” will enable the State to make the best broadband planning decisions.
"Broadband planning will improve the future outlook for many Oregonians in many ways,” said Rey Ramsey, CEO of One Economy. "We believe that there is a nexus between an individual’s quality of life and the information he or she receives. Connecting individuals to the Internet increases the opportunity for them to reach their fullest potential.”

BroadMap’s experienced team will incorporate multiple sources of location data and feedback from the State’s community anchor institutions—schools, hospitals, community centers and more, as well as information from broadband service providers to build the broadband serviceability map.

“Our background in compiling multiple layers of real-time location and broadband serviceability data since the early days of broadband makes our mapping solution a great fit for the State Oregon,” said Michael Evers, President and COO of BroadMap. “Our maps will help Oregon’s leaders reach out to those people who are unserved and underserved by broadband, and help all Oregonians to take better advantage of their options.”

Sanborn will work to provide specific location information known as address points for some of the counties in Oregon that do not currently have this information. These address points will help to provide the exact street name, address, postal code, latitude and longitude and other information that is critical to the successful mapping of Oregon’s broadband service coverage.

The New America Foundation’s experience in the wireless space and access to some of the most innovative crowd-sourcing tools available makes them uniquely suited to provide support for this project. As co-founders of the Measurement Lab (M-Lab) in partnership with Google, they provide the infrastructure and tools to assist with the collection of broadband speed and user data. 

# # #

The One Economy Corporation is a global nonprofit that leverages the power of technology to improve the lives of low-income people. The company connects low-income communities to broadband at an affordable cost through innovative community-based programs, policy recommendations and public-purpose media. One Economy is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has offices across the country and around the world.  www.one-economy.com

BroadMap aggregates critical data from local and national sources and conducts independent verification processes to create and provide the most complete, accurate and up-to-date maps available. BroadMap believes it is essential to provide States and Territories with the information they need to extend broadband connectivity to everyone, empowering local communities and businesses. BroadMap is headquartered in Glen Allen, VA, with a Technology and Sales office in Lebanon, NH. www.broadmap.com

Sanborn is a comprehensive end-to-end geospatial solutions company with a rich tradition of mapping dating back to 1866. Sanborn provides geographic and location-based information from data capture through design and development of custom applications including systems integration, spatial analysis and modeling. Leveraging a history of remote sensing capabilities, Sanborn delivers high-quality capabilities from traditional ground surveys, cadastral mapping, aerial surveys, photogrammetry and imagery analysis, to advanced web-based information systems and state-of-the-art 3D visualization systems. Sanborn has multiple offices partnering with customers worldwide to ensure their success.  www.sanborn.com

The New America Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States. The company co-founded the Measurement Lab (M-Lab) with Google Inc. to support the effective study of broadband networks. Launched in 1999, the institute is now led by President and CEO Steve Coll, former managing editor of The Washington Post, and a Board of Directors chaired by Eric Schmidt (Google Chairman and CEO). New America is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and also has a significant presence in California. www.newamerica.net

One Economy Corporation Contact:
Carol Gregory
Director of Communications
One Economy
202-393-4577 (office)
202-413-8531 (cell)
cgregory@one-economy.com

BroadMap Contact:
Leslie Burns
Communications Manager
804.767.1576
leslie.burns@broadmap.com

Sanborn Contact:
David Lewis
Director of Sales, State Government
703.819.6012
dlewis@sanborn.com