The California Public Utilities Commission has approved $3.29 million in grants from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Adoption Account that will support 18 digital literacy training projects and three broadband projects across the state.
The 21 projects will provide services to about 16,145 Californians. They will provide literacy training to 5,345 participants and broadband to 10,800 people in underserved communities.
All 18 digital literacy projects will provide a minimum of eight hours of instruction and support broadband subscriptions where appropriate. The California broadband access grants will establish community hubs with free equipment and public Wi-Fi.
The projects receiving broadband grants from California in this round include:
- American GI Forum Education Foundation of Santa Maria: $180,325 to provide digital literacy and data skills training for veterans in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
- Cyber-Seniors: $751,780 for five Connected Communities digital literacy projects serving older adults in Alameda, Orange, and Riverside counties and San Francisco and San Jose.
- Daly City Peninsula Partnership Collaborative: $231,050 to provide digital literacy training in Northern San Mateo County, including services for seniors, immigrants, and low-income residents.
- Genesis Community Foundation: $1,196,640 for eight Golden Bridge Program digital literacy projects serving seniors, low-income residents, justice-involved youth, and high school students in the Sacramento region.
- HOPE Center of Orange County: $140,532 broadband grant for digital literacy training and support for the homeless in North Orange County, California.
- International Rescue Committee, San Jose Office: $154,481 to provide digital literacy training to refugees and immigrants in Santa Clara County through its Digital Inclusion for School and Careers project.
- International Rescue Committee, San Diego Office: $169,890 for digital literacy and workforce-oriented digital skills training for refugees and immigrants in San Diego County.
- Monterey Bay Economic Partnership: $463,644 for three Connected Communities Hubs projects that will establish free public broadband access sites in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties.
The CPUC announced broadband grants for 14 projects totaling $1,424,050 in July. It includes $1.2 million for ten projects supported by the CASF. The initiatives are led by Building Skills Partnership, Digital Equity West, and EveryoneOn.
Additional information about California broadband, including state funding resources, BEAD coverage, grants made, state-specific coverage, and more may be found on the Telecompetitor Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
