September 3, 2026 3:30 a.m.
In the KQEN Business Spotlight:
Douglas Fast Net has been awarded a $31.576 million contract through Oregon’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to expand high-speed fiber internet access to 4,490 additional homes across rural communities in Douglas, Coos and Lane counties.
Combined with $10.418 million in matching funds contributed by DFN, the project represents a total investment of more than $41.99 million in fiber infrastructure across the region.
A release from DFN said, the BEAD program, administered in Oregon by the Oregon Broadband Office within Business Oregon, is a federal initiative designed to expand reliable, high-speed broadband access to communities that have historically lacked adequate internet infrastructure. Oregon’s BEAD investments are focused on closing the digital divide and bringing modern broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved locations.
Douglas Fast Net CEO Todd Way said, “Access to reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, it is essential infrastructure.” Way said, “This investment allows us to continue doing what DFN has been doing for more than 25 years: building fiber and connecting the communities we call home. We’re proud to make this investment alongside the State of Oregon and the federal government, and we’re especially proud to put our own resources behind it.”
The release said the BEAD-funded project will extend DFN’s fiber network across grant areas covering Days Creek, Elkton, Glendale, Glide, North Douglas, Oakland, Reedsport, Riddle, Roseburg, Winston-Dillard and Yoncalla, all in Douglas County, along with communities in the other two counties.
The release said for the 4,490 homes included in the project, the investment will give residents the opportunity to access DFN’s fully fiber-optic network, providing the speed, reliability and capacity needed for today’s households, businesses, schools, telehealth services and other essential online connections.
For more information on Douglas Fast Net, go to: https://dfn.net/