News was made on the digital equity front on both sides of the country this week — in New York and California.
On the east coast, New York governor Kathy Hochul re-released the ConnectALL Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant Request for Applications (RFA). The initiative will provide more than $5 million in state funding to continue digital equity grants in the state. The Trump administration had terminated the program in May.
Applications are due on August 25.
ConnectALL consists of five programs. They support internet adoption; broadband expansion; regional and local assistance in creating digital equity plans; municipal infrastructure throughout New York, and broadband retrofits to affordable housing.
On the other side of the country, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is supporting 14 projects for a total of $1,424,050.
The California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Adoption Account is providing $1.2 million for 10 digital literacy projects. The California initiatives are led by Building Skills Partnership, Digital Equity West, and EveryoneOn.
The California digital equity grants are expected to provide training to 1,831 people in underserved communities. They include:
- $211,895 to Building Skills Partnership for its Digital Literacy and AI program expansion (500 participants)
- $793,081 to Digital Equity West for eight digital literacy projects across Los Angeles County (1,031 participants)
- $175,564 to EveryoneOn for its Digital Connections program in Central, East, and South Los Angeles (300 participants)
The CPUC said it is supporting Broadband Public Housing Account infrastructure projects led by the Housing Authority of the County of Kern and New Horizons Affordable Housing and Development Inc.
Wireless point-to-multi-point infrastructure will provide speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload in the Alameda, Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties. Service will be provided to residents for free for a minimum of five years.
These California digital equity grants announced yesterday include:
- $112,500 to the Housing Authority of the County of Kern for its Village Congregational Community project in Arvin (60 households)
- $44,400 to New Horizons for 160 Blackburn St. Apartments in Watsonville (14 households)
- $49,900 to New Horizons for 179 Montebello Dr. Apartments in Watsonville (16 households)
- $17,250 to New Horizons for 1223 Broadway Apartments in Santa Cruz (5 households)
