Internet for our community, by our community.
Good for people.
Access to fast internet helps us deal with life. Online learning, telehealth, remote work, communication and social connection, entertainment.
Good for businesses.
Fast, reliable, and affordable internet allows your business to compete and scale in the increasingly digital landscape.
Fast, reliable, affordable internet lets you focus on your business.
Operations such as point-of-sale, customer relationship management, inventory software, e-commerce, analytics, online marketing are all improved by fast internet.
The latest technologies are digital and require fast internet. Cloud-native products, AI, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things.
Good for Portland.
Fast and accessible internet makes Portland thrive. Private ISPs have large margins that export money from the local economy. Local internet stimulates the local economy. Fast internet attracts talent. Improves quality of life. Enables innovation because of less restraints on internet use.
What makes co-op internet different?
Affordable
Large, private internet providers charge high prices, knowing we don’t have a choice but to pay them. Community broadband will break this stranglehold, providing affordable, high-qualilty internet without exploitative costs.
Equitable
Who private ISPs offer discounts to is at their whim, and when that doesn’t reflect the actual need within our communities there’s nothing we can do. Government subsidies don’t work because you can’t subsidize into unbounded pricing: when users get more buying power from subsidies, the ISP will just raise their prices. With community-owned internet, we can make sure our community members in need get the service they need.
Good customer service
Cooperatively owned internet is owned by the people who use it: you and your community. No more automated telephone menu limbo. No more service agents giving you scripted responses and putting you on hold, forwarding you to another department, and running you in circles. Local service is better service.
Private and secure
Internet providers have been able to sell private consumer information about what you do online for years. In 2017, they succeeded in repealing rules requiring them to get consent to collect, use and sell information about their customers’ habits. Our community broadband plan will unlock the option for private and secure for internet access.
Fast
The internet speed provided by private ISPs is driven by what makes them money, which often doesn’t align with our needs. As a community, we can provide the speed we need today and tomorrow.
Reliable
Large internet providers run a bare-bones system, causing frequent outages, and lack of accountability due to their regional monopolies. Public infrastructure is built to serve the needs of the community first, not to make a profit.
Net neutral
In December 2017, the FCC moved against the public interest by repealing net neutrality regulations. These regulations are essential to keeping the internet open and free. Community-owned broadband protects internet users and businesses from censorship and paid prioritization.
Good terms and conditions
ISPs currently have tight control over the terms and conditions they offer because we’re captive to whatever they set. Community internet enables choice, which incentivizes more user-friendly terms and conditions.