The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) this week approved $237 million for third and fourth round grants for last mile broadband projects in the state. The grants are part of the state’s Broadband for All program, which is funded by the $2 billion Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant Program.
Ten grants totaling $95 million were approved for broadband projects in California’s Alpine, Modoc, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Tulare counties. They include Tribal grants to the Fort Bidwell Indian Community (Modoc County) and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians (Santa Barbara County).
Eleven grants totaling $142 million were approved for broadband projects in California’s Mono, Nevada, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and San Mateo counties. Among them was a grant to the Colorado River Indian Tribes (Riverside and San Bernardino counties).
AT&T was one of the grant recipients. The service provider will bring fiber to 7,500 residential and business locations in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Mateo counties. The service provider says that it will support the public-private partnership with investments in each of the three counties.
This brings the total awarded and recommended last mile broadband funding by the CPUC to $434 million in 22 counties across California.
“We are excited about this public-private partnership opportunity to continue to work with the state and local leaders to deploy broadband to homes and businesses to help close the digital divide,” said AT&T California and Pacific States President Marc Blakeman.
“We are looking forward to bringing our fast, reliable, and affordable fiber broadband network to parts of Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Mateo Counties.”
The grants announced this week are part an ongoing program. Earlier this month, the CPUC recommended seven California entities for a total of $91 million in grants to cover some of the costs of constructing last mile broadband infrastructure. The commission may vote on whether to approve the awards next month.
More information on broadband deployments and other news in California can be found at Telecompetitor’s Broadband Nation webpage.
Updated to clarify that 10 awards were made in California’s Alpine, Modoc, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Tulare counties. And 11 awards were made in Mono, Nevada, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and San Mateo counties.
