THE DALLES — QLife Network, a broadband service provider in the Mid-Columbia region, has secured $15.2 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding to bring high-speed fiber internet to 924 homes and businesses in Northern Wasco County.
The award is part of Oregon’s newly approved BEAD Final Proposal, authorized by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The state revealed 19 preliminary awardees last September, as previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, but the allocated amounts required another signature from NTIA.
Statewide, the initiative will connect more than 104,000 unserved and underserved households, healthcare facilities, and businesses across 36 counties and seven tribal communities.
The BEAD program prioritizes homes and businesses without reliable high-speed internet and areas where existing service is too slow to support modern work, education, healthcare, and business needs. QLife’s project targets these eligible homes and businesses within the Northern Wasco County School District.
“This is a defining moment for our community,” said Liz Lance, executive director of QLife Network. “For too long, rural families, farms, and small businesses have been left behind without reliable high-speed internet. This investment allows us to deliver the high-speed internet access they have long deserved.”
Over the next foru years,QLife will install more than 30 miles of fiber broadband starting in the rural and unincorporated areas west and southwest of The Dalles, including neighborhoods near Chenoweth Creek, Cherry Heights and Browns Creek. The network will also expand to upland areas between The Dalles and Mosier, along with select homes and businesses along the Columbia River on the east side of The Dalles.
Once complete, the network will provide scalable, high-speed service designed to support long-term growth in education, healthcare access, agriculture, remote work and small business development. The project is expected to support about 20 jobs.
The total project investment is approximately $20 million, including a required local match of about $5 million. The funding supports engineering, permitting, materials procurement, construction and final deployment to ensure durable, high-quality infrastructure across the service area.
“This project strengthens the foundation of our local economy,” said Lee Weinstein, QLife board president. “Reliable broadband supports students, small businesses, healthcare providers and public safety. This investment positions Wasco County for long-term opportunity."
QLife will provide ongoing updates as the project advances through contracting, permitting and construction planning. The organization will share additional information with the community as deployment timelines and service availability are finalized. Read more in the Oregon Broadband Office Press Release about all BEAD awards state-wide.
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