Bridging California’s Digital Divide

The California Broadband Council (CBC) met July 18 in Sacramento to discuss ways to bring digital equity to all Californian’s. The CBC promotes broadband deployment and adoption in unserved and underserved communities throughout the state.

CDT’s Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy manages the CBC and provides support to the Council by managing the statewide ecosystem of individuals and organizations dedicated to closing the digital divide.

The meeting produced several positive actions, including:

  • Producing a regular update from the Office of Emergency Services regarding public safety that will include information on FirstNet – a dedicated, reliable public safety broadband network; and NextGen 911 – an upgraded digital or Internet Protocol 911 system.
  • Establishing a task force led by the Department of General Services and supported by CDT and other agencies to assess and leverage state contracts that will increase collaboration with the vendor community.
  • Creating a task force to finalize the Digital Bill of Rights, initiated and led by the California Public Utilities Commission for final approval at CBC’s meeting in October.
  • Forming a task force to create a review and input process for key stakeholders, such as the regional broadband consortia.

The next and final CBC meeting of the calendar year will be held Oct. 17 in Sacramento. For more information, visit the CBC website.