Portland is an island of expensive, privately owned internet service infrastructure.
Fast internet access here in Portland remains expensive and limited to neighborhoods that provide the highest profits for the few private internet service providers (ISPs) operating in PDX. Every county surrounding Portland is building or operating affordable publicly owned and publicly available super-fast fiber-optic broadband networks.
Individual prosperity and a robust local economy are driven by UNIVERSAL affordable access to fast internet service. 
A climate resilient city needs robust publicly owned and available fiber-optic broadband infrastructure. 
Creating a digitally equitable and just city is dependent upon providing access to fast internet service at an affordable cost for everyone. Did you know the City of Portland owns and operates a fiber-optic broadband network? The network is called IRNE – Integrated Regional Network Enterprise and was created under Mayor Vera Katz’s leadership on May 24, 2000 with Portland City Council Resolution 35888.
IRNE Net has existed for 25 years. Yet Portlanders are forced to use profit-driven private ISPs for internet service. Too many in our city struggle to afford and access fast internet service in their homes, small businesses and third places.
There is no transparent, actionable plan to treat our City of Portland owned fiber optic infrastructure as a publicly available utility used for the public good.
OUR MISSION is to guide Portlanders to create a new option for fast internet access: Publicly owned and transparently operated, affordable, secure, fast and reliable broadband infrastructure that is always available to every neighborhood and community.
What We Want
We want the City of Portland to create a Publicly Owned Open Access Broadband Network available to every Portland resident, business, and institution.
We want a Dig Once Dig Smart policy. Every time the city opens the street, sidewalk, or other right of ways, we want publicly owned fiber optic conduit installed.
We want Public $$$$ To Mean Public Ownership every time the city offers development funding to private entities using public money including grants, tax incentives, tax deferments, or creates new tax increment financing districts we want publicly owned, open access broadband infrastructure included in the new development.
Let’s Make This Happen
We call on our new city council to make publicly owned broadband infrastructure part of every plan.
Join us by attending our monthly coordinating meetings to learn more about our campaign for publicly owned broadband infrastructure here in PDX. Can’t give time?
Donate to help our 100% volunteer run organization make publicly owned and transparently operated internet access happen here in Portland.
