About Us

About Tillamook Lightwave

Tillamook Lightwave (TLW) was formed by an Intergovernmental Agreement of Tillamook Lightwave Public agencies in 2000 with the mission to enhance access to high-speed, affordable telecommunications services across Tillamook County.

Through strategic public-private partnerships, TLW has established a robust fiber optic communication infrastructure, connecting Wheeler to Tillamook and ensuring redundant links to major Oregon metro centers along the coast.

We view broadband as the utility service of the 21st century. All homes and businesses in Tillamook County deserve to have access to fully engage in society. We are actively seeking grants to facilitate the continued development of this critical infrastructure in our communities. We would love to hear from you! Come to one of our board meetings on the 4th Tuesday of each month at Tillamook PUD and let us know how we can best serve the community.

Our Mission

TLW is committed to providing accessible broadband telecommunication services to our communities. Our mission is to foster economic development, enhance education through distance learning, and facilitate telemedicine opportunities. By improving overall connectivity, we aim to elevate Tillamook County’s quality of life.

Goals

Create a high-speed telecommunication system for economic growth. Enable distance learning and telemedicine for community development. Enhance global connectivity for economic diversity and stability.

Impact

Elevate the standard of living and eliminate the Digital Divide. Contribute to economic diversity, seasonal stability, and youth opportunities. Provide low-cost, high-speed access to attract industries and enhance business opportunities.

Benefit

State-of-the-art telecommunications for high-speed internet, distance learning, and video conferencing. Medical image transfer to improve healthcare accessibility. Prepare Tillamook County for the future and ensure competitiveness in the global economy.

Discover the latest updates and notable achievements from Tillamook Lightwave in our "In the News" tab. Stay informed with links to the most current press coverage about our community-driven initiatives. If you're interested in featuring Tillamook Lightwave in a news article, please use the Contact Us webform to get in touch. Thank you for your interest and support.

2023: ReConnect Award for Residential Fiber Development

Tillamook County was awarded $3,000,000 through Congressionally Directed funding from the federal ReConnect program. The appropriation will be used to supply fiber optic infrastructure, associated apparatus, engineering, permitting, and environmental compliance to develop a network segment that extends from the existing Tillamook Lightwave route along SR-101. This pathway will begin in Hebo, OR, and generally follows the existing right of way along SR-22 for approximately 7.3 miles. The project will supply 38,752 feet of new middle-mile distribution fiber. Our project partner, Astound Broadband, will deploy customer service drops from the interested homes and businesses off of this route with services of up to 1 Gigabit symmetrical.

2005: Congressional Recognition and Grant Funding

Tillamook Lightwave (TLW) received a 2005 federal appropriation administered through the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration to enable telemedicine to be established between the Tillamook County Hospital and Tillamook County Health Departments, provide for distance learning opportunities for the medical community of Tillamook County, and enable a more rapid sharing of patient data between the Tillamook County Hospital and designated trauma hospitals in Portland.

2005: Fiber Network and Submarine Cables

In 2005, Tillamook Lightwave constructed a fiber network that runs from the North Tillamook County Cable Landing Station at Nedonna Beach, south along the railroad tracks to Tillamook where the cable runs on overhead lines to the Tillamook PUD office. From the PUD office, the fiber extends southward past the high school and out to the Port’s industrial park south of Tillamook. The plan is to extend fiber into South County when funds become available.

This communications infrastructure will enable both the private sector and government entities access to affordable broadband connectivity. Since 1998, North Tillamook County has landed several trans-Pacific submarine cables.

2000: Our Formation

Tillamook Lightwave was created with a Oregon ORS Chapter 190 Intergovernmental Agreement between Tillamook People’s Utility District, the Port of Tillamook Bay, and Tillamook County on November 1, 2000 to facilitate telecommunications infrastructure development within Tillamook County, Oregon.

Today, Tillamook Lightwave works alongside public and private partners to operate a fiber network throughout many areas in Tillamook County, facilitates an open access cable landing station for undersea fiber transport, and promotes public and private investment in fiber infrastructure to ensure Tillamook County has the infrastructure needed to thrive into the future.

“Our mission is to provide affordable broadband telecom services through public/private partnerships to benefit the communities that we serve.”

-Doug Olsen, President of the TLW Board