PUD, Q-Life team up to deliver high-speed fiber optic internet to all in Wasco County
From Northern Wasco County PUD with additions by Tom Peterson:
The Dalles, OR – July 25, 2024 – Today the QualityLife Intergovernmental Agency (Q-Life) Board of Directors voted unanimously to add Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District (NWCPUD) as a member.
NWCPUD joins the City of The Dalles and Wasco County as the other members of Q-Life. Since 2002, Q-Life has been a collaborative effort of public agencies in The Dalles dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and economic development by facilitating the community’s access to broadband-level internet.
Q-Life is a collaborative effort of public entities in The Dalles that began in 2002 and it created a 17-mile fiber optic loop through the city. The goal is to enhance the region's economic development efforts with a reliable, cost-effective, open-access link to the Bonneville Power Administration's fiber, which runs through The Dalles. - Tom Peterson
Northern Wasco County PUD General Manager, Roger Kline
“Northern Wasco County PUD is very honored to join Q-Life as a member at such a pivotal time both for our region and community members,” said Roger Kline, General Manager and CEO of NWCPUD. “The values of NWCPUD and Q-Life are closely intertwined. We learned during the pandemic that reliable access to internet is just as essential as access to reliable power. We look forward to helping strengthen that mission moving forward. I appreciate having the full support of the PUD’s Board of Directors in working to make life better for our entire community.”
“This is a big deal,” said Qlife Board President Lee Weinstein, noting the board will be looking to hire an Executive Director to help speed progress. “There are lots of things in play with the fed and state in terms of speed.”
Weinstein also pointed to the $42.45 billion grant program created in the federal bipartisan Infrastructure law and administered by the Department of Commerce which seeks to connect everyone in America to high-speed internet. - Tom Peterson
The vision of Q-Life is for every address in Wasco County to enjoy a higher quality of life and participate in education, healthcare, and the economy through a high-speed internet connection at a price point that they can afford.
“The economic development opportunities that come from access to broadband-level internet cannot be understated. From attracting small business to the region to making virtual medical visits a possibility, we truly feel that by joining Q-Life we’ve been given the opportunity to improve everyone’s quality of life in Wasco County.”
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Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District (NWCPUD) is a customer-owned utility that provides nearly 25,000 people and businesses with electricity in Wasco County, Oregon. Formed in August 1939 and first delivering power in April 1949, NWCPUD’s mission is to provide reliable, competitively-priced energy, and related services that benefit our customers in the tradition of public power. As our name implies, “people” are what we are all about. For more information, please visit: https://www.nwascopud.org/.
DIRECTORS: Daniel Hammel Roger Howe Wayne Jacobson Greg Johnson Scott Taylor
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