BY MICHAEL WYNSCHENK, CEO of HUNTER COMMUNICATIONS
In Oregon, too many of us are using 2001 internet technology while paying 2021 prices.
The services are too slow, data caps are in place, rates change annually, and the internet connections are not stable.
Others don’t have access to the internet at all, especially in our rural communities. The poor internet that is available in too many places in our more rural areas creates challenges to keep and attract new businesses, while too many recent high school and college graduates are leaving their hometowns to find jobs outside the state.
The bottom line is that Oregonians are paying too much and not getting enough internet. I have yet to meet a person who wants slower internet for more money or who likes annual price increases, data caps, or automated customer service.
But there is hope. Many people in Oregon may be unaware that there is a lot of money on the table to provide faster internet at a lower price.
Much of the money will come from the recently passed National Infrastructure Bill that will help fund faster internet, especially in rural communities. This bill will help enable state, county, and local leaders in Oregon to determine the best way to fix the internet speed gap in our communities.
Additionally, some internet providers, like Hunter Communications, will continue to provide fiber internet to homes and businesses without government funding. At Hunter, we see the value of providing our friends, family, and neighborhoods with a faster, more reliable fiber internet connection at a fixed price without contracts or data caps.
The future of the Internet for all is certainly bright if the right strategies are selected and executed. Hunter Communications believes the funding coming into the state should be prioritized as follows:
1. Public-Private Partnerships
A thoughtful approach involves Oregon’s internet providers working collaboratively with community leaders to build the best available internet service for all while charging users affordable rates without requiring them to pay for routers required in the home.
2. Investments in Training Skilled Workers
Oregon needs to become the hub of Fiber Internet technology delivery–how to design, build, and maintain the fiber that powers our homes and businesses. Who better to manage our networks and deliver service to us all than the people who live in our communities? Trained and skilled Oregonians need to be doing this work because quality service experience matters.
3. Future-Ready Internet
We believe that wired residential internet connections should meet a required minimum of 100 Mbps / 100 Mbps. The ability to increase these speeds 10x as desired by customers should be available by flipping a switch. Anything less would be like building a new home with only one electrical outlet in each room.
4. Support Remote Learning
Our classroom teachers should be properly equipped to teach remotely from their homes, using pandemic-proof internet with the fastest available speeds for $25 or less per month. These speeds would be up to 1 Gig, generally recognized as the fastest home internet available.
Hunter is proud of the progress we have made since the beginning of the pandemic. We are now providing affordable fiber internet with no data caps, affordable pricing, and a free router* for the thousands of homes now able to use our services while continuing to provide award-winning internet for businesses throughout Southern Oregon.
We remain committed to leading the journey to ensure that there is no digital divide for anyone who calls Oregon home.
*Offer may end at any time.