C8 The BulleTin • Sunday, May 30, 2021
Broadband
Continued from C1
Broadband Now, an inde-
pendent broadband availability
website, reports 96% of resi-
dents in Deschutes County has
internet access. Access sinks
in both Crook and Jefferson
counties to 69% and 77%, ac-
cording to the website’s 2021
data.
To help residents connect,
the federal government estab-
lished the Emergency Broad-
band Benefit program, a
six-month-long program for
low-income consumers. Un-
der the program, families on
tribal lands can receive up to
$75 a month from a $3.2 mil-
lion fund. The program was
announced May 12.
Not all internet service pro-
viders, however, participate
in the Federal Communica-
tion Commission program.
In Bend, BendBroadband is
not participating and instead
is referring customers who
need financial assistance for
internet access to a program
called Connect2Compete, said
Robin Cooper Engle, TDS
Emergency Broadband Benefit program
To apply for assistance with the Emergency Broadband Benefit pro-
gram, find an internet service provider in your Zip code by going to
data.usac.org/publicreports/CompaniesNearMe/Download/Report.
To be eligible only one person from a household needs to demon-
strate low income, participate in a free and reduced-priced school
meal program or SNAP, Medicaid or Lifeline, receive a federal Pell
Grant during the current year, suffered a job loss or furlough due to
the pandemic and the household income must be below $99,000 for
single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
Telecommunications LLC vice
president of Resource Devel-
opment.
However, the parent com-
pany of BendBroadband, TDS
Telecom, is participating in
other areas, Cooper Engle said
in an email.
“BendBroadband is not
(participating) as it has Con-
nect2Compete, which is a
well-established and commu-
nity-focused program that we
are proud to deliver to area
residents,” said Cooper Engle.
“Connect2Compete was es-
tablished before the pandemic
and will continue to exist after
it is over.”
The BendBroadband pro-
gram relies upon nonprofit
agencies to process applica-
tions. Upon approval, low-in-
come families can have the in-
stallation fees waived and pay
$9.95 a month for two years,
including the rental of the
wireless modem, according to
the company’s website.
The program’s monthly data
usage allotment is 250 giga-
bytes. The download speed
is 25 megabytes per second
downloads, according to Bend-
Broadband’s website.
About 149 customers are
participating, said Cooper En-
gle.
The program is rarely of-
fered to clients by Habitat for
Humanity, one of the local
nonprofits on the BendBroad-
Vacation
Don’t feel guilty
As more workers end their
remote-work saga and return
to physical office spaces, some
employees may feel guilty tak-
ing time off. Dominguez says
people worry that there is no
one on their team to do their
job in their absence, or that
they are fearful of the moun-
tain of work they will face
when they return. Dominguez
says it can be helpful to re-
member that vacation time is
not a “perk.”
“We have to stop looking at
our vacation time like this gift
that your company gives you,”
she says. “It’s earned compen-
sation. It’s part of your total re-
ward. They’re not just giving it
to you; you’ve earned it.”
Bonior says companies
know it is in their best inter-
est to encourage employees to
take time off, particularly after
last year.
“Productivity and engage-
ment and morale increase
when we’re not chronically
stressed,” she says. “So (taking
e e
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So have that conversation,
set up your out-of-office mes-
sage and log off work mode.
Continued from C1
Keni Dominguez, a career
coach and workplace culture
strategist, recommends work-
ing with your manager or
co-workers to stagger vacation
time between your team —
particularly during the sum-
mer while “vaxications” are on
the rise, kids are out of school
and wedding season is in full
swing.
Once you decide to take
time off, Dominguez says, let
your boss know as soon as pos-
sible. If you are taking a sub-
stantial amount of PTO, give
them a heads up a month in
advance. A shorter trip may
only need a couple weeks’ no-
tice.
Dominguez recommends
telling your manager in per-
son, over the phone or on
video, then following up with
an email to seal the deal.
band site.
“The program is not help-
ful as it is not enough broad-
band for families who have
more than one child or who
were working from home,”
said DeeDee Johnson, Habitat
for Humanity vice president
of Homeowner Services. “And
you have to be a new customer
of BendBroadband to partic-
ipate.”
Typically when Habitat for
Humanity is helping families
with permanent housing, it
doesn’t help with providing in-
ternet access.
Some students are still using
school-provided hotspots, said
Sheila Miller, Redmond School
District spokeswoman. To de-
termine the need, the school
district polled parents and pur-
chased equipment.
“Secondary students still
have the hotspots because we
wanted to support teacher
conferences,” Miller said in
an email. “Most have been re-
turned now that we’re back in
full-time, in-person instruc-
tion.”
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vacation days) is actually better
for everyone.”
Set boundaries
While you do need to tell
your boss you will be gone,
Dominguez says, there is a
common misconception that
employees need to explain how
they will be spending their va-
cation time.
“For one, you’re not required
to do that. And two, you don’t
need to send your vacation itin-
erary to your boss,” she says.
“You’re asking for the time off.
You’re not asking for permis-
sion to go to a wedding or take
a flight to Florida or England or
wherever you want to go.”
What you can tell your boss
is whether you will be reach-
able. If you would like to fully
disconnect from work during
your vacation to enjoy the
glory of travel again, Bonior
says, it is important to set a
clear boundary that you will be
unable to answer emails, Slack
messages, fax memos, tele-
grams, etc.
“Just because the technology
is there for us to be in touch
all the time doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t have a break,” she
says. “It actually just means
that we have to be the ones to
uphold it.”
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Not ready? Use PTO anyway
For various reasons, many
will still be understandably
apprehensive about traveling.
There are those who are con-
cerned about traveling with
underlying conditions, and
others worry about the safety
of their unvaccinated children.
Bonior says you do not have
to travel to benefit from taking
vacation time. “All of us need
some semblance of a break,”
she says.
Instead of planning to travel,
Bonior recommends taking
that time off to focus on self-
care and doing things such as
catching up on sleep, getting
outdoors and socializing with
loved ones.