August 25, 2022 – Broadband leaders from the California Public Utilities Commission and California Department of Technology are working with local and regional entities to advance connectivity for residents throughout the state.
Grant Applications Accepted Now
In August, the CPUC began accepting applications for Local Agency Technical Assistance for pre-construction work facilitating broadband network projects to areas in need. The program has a $50 million budget for eligible local agencies and tribal entities in California, including a $5 million set aside for tribes.
Program information is available on the CPUC website, including a grantee manual, a recorded webinar on grant rules, and the grant application.
Grantees may receive up to 100 percent of technical assistance project costs of up to $500,000 per local agency or tribe per fiscal year (ministerial review), and up to $1M per local agency or tribe through Commission resolution.
A staff proposal on the Loan Loss Reserve program is planned to be published in the coming weeks.
Get Connected California!
Don’t forget, Get Connected California! day is this Saturday, Aug. 27. There will be enrollment events throughout the state to help more households start saving on their Home Internet bill. Details available online.
Broadband Leaders Visit Sites in Fresno and the Bay Area
NTIA and CDT Digital Equity teams and members of the #OaklandUndivided coalition met with NTIA Digital Equity Director Angela Thi Bennett (front row center) and CDT Deputy Director Scott Adams (left, middle-row).
CDT and CPUC staff joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Digital Equity Team for a series of listening sessions and public housing site visits in Fresno, Oakland, and San Francisco last week. State and NTIA leaders met with local leaders, city and county agency staff, nonprofits, and public housing and workforce development advocates to understand digital equity challenges in their region and to share how the State’s Digital Equity and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plans can align to support regional efforts.