According to a recent report by the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO), there are approximately 353,000 unserved households in California, which equates to 3% of the state’s households. The same report found that nearly 750,000 households are underserved by broadband service, representing about 6% of California’s households. Streamlining California’s broadband application process will maximize the funding that needs to be allocated so unserved communities can get connected to broadband. Creating new broadband networks requires skilled labor, access to fiber and materials and funding for construction, while also requiring ongoing maintenance of technically complex and dynamic networks. We can take a giant step together by ensuring that funding for broadband networks is used in the most efficient manner and work with providers with a proven track record of building resilient broadband networks, so no Californian is left behind.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 04, 2022 17:10 UTC