πŸŒŠπŸ“‘ Oregon Proposes First-Ever Fees on Seafloor Data Cables

Aug 5, 2026 | News

πŸ“‹ What’s changing:

πŸ”Ή Application fees: $5,000 β†’ $15,000

πŸ”Ή Renewal fees: $5,000 β†’ $7,500 (term extended 20 β†’ 25 years)

πŸ”Ή New one-time fee: $3/foot of cable in state waters (~$1M+ per new cable)

πŸ”Ή Revenue directed to Oregon’s Common School Fund πŸ”Ή Tighter emergency-response and decommissioning rules, prompted by a 2020 seafloor drilling incident

🏒 Why it matters:

πŸ”Ή Hillsboro is 1 of only 2 West Coast inland cable landing points

πŸ”Ή Oregon is a top-10 U.S. data center market

πŸ”Ή No sales tax + enterprise zone incentives have long fueled growth

πŸ”Ή New fees signal rising regulatory and cost pressure on coastal/telecom infrastructure

πŸ—“οΈ Public comment open through Aug. 3; State Land Board vote expected later this year

πŸ“ Worth watching for anyone with exposure to data center, industrial, or telecom-adjacent real estate.

#CommercialRealEstate #DataCenters #Oregon #CRE #Infrastructure #Telecom #IndustrialRealEstate #PropTech #RealEstateInvesting #EconomicDevelopment

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/07/21/following-data-center-boom-oregon-for-first-time-considers-charging-use-fees-for-undersea-cables

Dylan Cunningham

J Dylan Cunningham, CCIM is the founder of Oak Street Commercial Real Estate, LLC, a firm located in Apex, NC on a mission to helpΒ business owners and commercial real estate owners create long-term strategies that align with their objectives through real estate.

We believe in going beyond the transaction, taking a deep look at where you want to be in five, ten or even twenty years from nowβ€”and how we can help you get there with thoughtful, strategic decisions today.