[PORT ORFORD, OR]: Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CCEC) has been unanimously selected by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Board of Directors to receive the 2026 Electric Cooperative Purpose Award, one of the highest honors in the electric cooperative industry. The award recognizes exceptional commitment to cooperative purpose and measurable impact in improving quality of life for rural communities.
The recognition highlights CCEC's leadership in establishing its wholly-owned subsidiary, Beacon Broadband, Inc. (BBI), which has rapidly expanded high-speed fiber connectivity across some of Oregon's most remote and historically underserved areas.
Since launching broadband construction, BBI has secured $41.8 million in grant funding to accelerate deployment and connect underserved and unserved locations throughout CCEC's service territory. To date, more than 6,300 members have been connected to fiber internet service, and Beacon Broadband has constructed more than 1,197 miles of fiber infrastructure, with approximately 350 miles remaining. Together, these milestones represent one of the most significant rural broadband expansions in the region's history, transforming access to education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and communication.
Leadership Rooted in Cooperative Courage
In 2020, CCEC's Board of Directors made the bold decision to expand beyond traditional electric service and invest in broadband infrastructure through BBI, a move requiring significant vision, long-term commitment, and confidence in the cooperative model. At the time, private telecommunications providers had largely determined that deploying fiber in rural southwest Oregon was unprofitable. Guided by cooperative principles and member need, the board chose to move forward following a proven electric cooperative model for broadband deployment.
"Receiving this recognition is a reflection of what cooperative membership truly means, showing up for your community even when the path isn't easy," said Brent Bischoff, Chief Executive Officer of CCEC and Beacon Broadband. "Our board made a courageous decision in 2020. Now we are driving that decision to reality. This infrastructure will open opportunities on the south coast for generations to come."
Crossing the Same Frontier
The mission to connect all CCEC members is deeply rooted in cooperative history. In 1939, cooperative founder Ivan Laird traveled rural roads and remote valleys asking neighbors whether they believed electricity should reach their communities. Private utilities had already determined the investment was too costly and too difficult. Laird refused to allow his rural community to be left behind, organizing Coos Electric Cooperative to build infrastructure where others would not.
Few places illustrate that determination more clearly than Agness. Nestled in the wilderness along the Rogue River, this remote community once relied on pack animals and jet boats for access, with mail delivered by boat and limited infrastructure connecting residents to the outside world. When electricity finally reached Agness in 1962, after years of cooperative effort, it marked a turning point, ending an era of isolation and opening new possibilities for the community.
Today, that same spirit to connect the region remains. The same driving force that once brought electricity to remote valleys and ranches is now bringing high-speed connectivity, so that no community is left behind in the digital age. Fiber optic cables now cross the same mountains and valleys where electric lines once blazed a new trail, connecting many of those same ranches and homes to the digital world.
A National Recognition of Cooperative Purpose
Ted Case, Executive Director of the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association, nominated CCEC for the national award, recognizing the cooperative's work as a modern continuation of rural electrification.
"What Beacon Broadband has accomplished in a few short years, in some of the most challenging terrain in the state, is a testament to what the cooperative model can do when leadership has the courage to act on its principles. This is rural electrification for the 21st century.” said Ted Case, Executive Director of the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association. "
“I’m so very proud that the work of CCEC and Beacon Broadband, right here in Oregon, has been recognized and celebrated by winning this national, competitive, prestigious award. Guided by
The 7 Cooperative Principles, CCEC has indeed served their membership and the community by providing high speed internet -- which is so impactful to healthcare services, school systems, economic development, and quality of life. CCEC, guided by the Board and their excellent employees, are true trailblazers!” says Ingrid Kessler, Vice President of the NRECA Board of Directors and local Oregonian Director at Lane Electric.
Nearly nine decades after its founding, CCEC continues to demonstrate that when communities organize around shared purpose, transformative infrastructure becomes possible, ensuring that geography does not define opportunity.
About Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 14,000 members across a 100-mile coastal service territory in southwest Oregon. Founded in 1939, CCEC is guided by cooperative principles and a commitment to providing reliable, affordable energy and essential services to rural communities. For more information, visit www.ccec.coop
About Beacon Broadband Beacon Broadband is a wholly owned subsidiary of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative dedicated to expanding high-speed fiber internet access across Oregon's south coast. With more than 6,300 customers, Beacon Broadband is a world class broadband provider with a rural cooperative mindset. For more information, visit www.beaconbroadband.com