Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) today announced the placement of two American Connection Corps (ACC) fellows in Tillamook and Morrow counties to help advance broadband availability and access programs in Oregon.
Aaron Moss will serve as one fellow in Morrow County. Moss is a recent graduate from Portland State University with a bachelor of science in political science. He previously served in various roles with the Oregon State legislature with members of both major political parties, and also worked for Farmers Insurance Agency.
As a broadband project coordinator, Moss will report to the community development director and assist in the advancement of Morrow County’s broadband efforts, including furthering the goals of the task force initiated by the county.
TCCA will underwrite the fellows’ activities during the next two years as they implement initiatives designed to help ensure better digital connectivity in rural areas of the state.
Led by Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Lead For America (LFA) – and in partnership with organizations like TCCA – ACC is a new, innovative fellowship program focused on bridging the digital divide. As part of the national network, ACC fellows will receive national training on community organizing, broadband and digital inclusion, as well as access to a network of LFA leaders nationwide.
“We have made this a top priority for some time and look forward to the ability to have someone in the forefront of our efforts,” said Morrow County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay. “Access has become a basic need from education to mental and physical health and we, with our partners, are committed to working diligently on this effort.”
The TCCA-sponsored fellows will work to increase broadband access and digital literacy for the rural communities by using existing infrastructure to replicate across the counties and maximizing fiber-to-home connectivity. The fellows are part of a national ACC effort that will deploy over 50 fellows to serve as community leaders and champions of digital equity across the country.
According to the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council 2020 report, while most rural households or businesses have access to broadband, the service transmission speeds are low making internet access spotty and unreliable. In general, Oregon’s urban areas are served by multiple broadband internet service providers at speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload or better. Rural and frontier areas of the state are served by fewer providers and typically at slower speeds of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload, or they are unserved altogether.
