Columbia County broadband project paused pending federal rule review; team outlines costs, timeline and financing

Holly Miller, Columbia County IT director, told the Board of County Commissioners that the Oregon Broadband Office has “officially pressing pause on the application process” for the federal BEAD program after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) signaled potential rule changes that could affect project design and costs.

The pause means the county’s application timing and some design choices may change; consultants advised the board to expect uncertainty about which technologies and connection-cost thresholds the NTIA will favor. “Most likely, their preference is going to be low earth orbit, which would be Starlink,” Miller said, describing one industry expectation discussed by the project team.

The project team presented updated technical and financial modeling and recommended next steps while noting estimates remain subject to the federal rulemaking. Michael Curry, a member of the broadband project team, said an economic-feasibility survey of local “community anchor institutions” received 41 responses, representing more than $200,000 annually in aggregated Internet and telecom budgets. He said those commitments are material both for financing capacity and for long‑term network sustainability.

Consultants provided cost and schedule ranges rather than final numbers. Drew…