Oregon’s Legislative Emergency Board has allocated $20 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to expand broadband internet availability in rural areas of the state.

Half of the $20 million will go to projects in regions that have no broadband internet access. It will be distributed through the Rural Broadband Capacity Program, which is managed by Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency.

The other half will go to Link Oregon, a nonprofit consortium that includes the State of Oregon and the state’s four research universities working to expand broadband coverage in the public sector, including school districts, health care providers and businesses.

The funding will be used for Phase 2, which focuses on southern and eastern Oregon, including Roseburg, Medford, Ashland, Klamath Falls, The Dalles, Pendleton, La Grande, Ontario and Burns, among other locations.

The program will begin accepting proposals once details are clarified, according to Nathan Buehler, communications and research manager for the Oregon Business Development Department.

The $20 million for rural internet expansion was part of $247 million the state received through the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, which Congress passed last spring.

How the $247 million of CARES Act funds will be distributed in Oregon:

● $75 million to support rental assistance, housing stabilization and mortgage assistance.

● $10 million in additional support to the Oregon Worker Relief Fund to support Oregonians who are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

● $15 million to support individuals having difficulty paying their utility bills.

● $3.5 million to expand access to affordable telephone and broadband service for low-income households.

● $4 million to support survivors of domestic violence.

● $25.6 million to enhance behavioral health services for people impacted by COVID-19, with a focus on communities of color, federally recognized tribes and vulnerable populations.

● $30 million to help child care providers stay in business.

● $20 million to support the Rural Broadband Capacity Program to support safe distancing practices by connecting schools, health care providers and businesses.

● $50 million for rural hospital stabilization grants.

● $10 million to provide personal protective equipment for small businesses.

● $3 million in technical assistance to minority- and women-owned businesses.

● $1 million for 2-1-1 to maintain referral services during the pandemic.