What is McKenzie Community Communications (MCC)

  • MCC is a nonprofit community-based organization serving residents along the McKenzie River Valley in Oregon. mckenziecommunications.org

  • Its mission is to https://mckenziecommunications.org/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.comprovide a resilient, community-controlled communications infrastructure — especially important in emergencies when conventional services (cell phone, landline, broadband) may fail.

What MCC Provides

  • Emergency radio services and a radio-network backbone (using repeated relays) to support communication even during outages or disasters.

  • Broadband Internet service, free public-WiFi hotspots, and other Internet connectivity solutions for valley residents, including those with little or no prior service.

  • A General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) repeater network with distributed radios — so residents have access to reliable, low-cost radio communication across the valley especially during emergencies.

Why It Matters / Its Goals

  • Because the McKenzie River Valley is rural and vulnerable to events such as wildfires (e.g. the 2020 wildfire season), loss of power or coverage can isolate people — MCC’s infrastructure aims to ensure reliable communication when standard networks fail. 

  • In addition to emergency resilience, MCC helps improve overall connectivity and access, making internet and communications more broadly available and affordable for residents. 

  • MCC plans to support future infrastructure expansion and share its model to help other rural communities build their own resilient wireless networks. 

Recent / Historical Context

  • After the major fires in 2020 (e.g. the Holiday Farm Fire), MCC gained attention and funding: for example, it received a grant of US$105,000 from a fund administered by the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), in collaboration with other foundations, to build a robust GMRS repeater network for future emergencies. 

  • Because traditional phone and cell networks proved vulnerable during disasters, MCC’s proponents argue that distributed GMRS radios + repeaters + community-owned internet backhaul provide a more dependable way for neighbors to stay connected, coordinate, and access emergency resources.

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