CBC Delivers Action Plan with a Goal of Broadband For All

The California Broadband Council has delivered its roadmap for the future of broadband and digital inclusion in response to Governor Newsom’s August 14 Executive Order, N073-20. The Order requests a comprehensive and multi-agency effort to narrow the digital divide and ensure robust broadband is accessible and affordable for all Californians.

So much of daily life is served through online portals and processes; from learning online, accessing vital services and information, or the state’s own workforce advancing the business of government, broadband, and internet access create the connective thread tying together economic and workforce development, public safety, education, and an engaged citizenry. Broadband is the engine that drives California’s advancement and success in industries from higher education to manufacturing, agriculture, and the service sector. Access to broadband, as essential to modern life, has been brought into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delivering broadband to a state as large and diverse as California is complicated. The California Public Utility Commission’s data shows areas where broadband is unavailable and underserved because of geography and affordability.  Those areas where residents lack the opportunity to adopt broadband demonstrate the inequality many face in improving their lives and the lives of their families.  While California has made significant progress toward digital equity, the evolving complexity and scope of the broadband challenge means there is still much work to do.

The Council solicited extensive engagement and input from state and local agencies, state legislative leaders, tribal nations, broadband industry leaders, nonprofits, and public members in the plan’s development. In addition to research on national best practices, they solicited written comments. They listened to ideas and concerns raised by many of the 150 organizations and more than 600 attendees who participated in listening sessions, online events, and meetings over the 4 months devoted to the plan’s development.

The overall goals of the plan are that all Californians have high-performance broadband available at home, schools, libraries, and businesses, that all Californians have access to affordable broadband and the devices necessary to access the internet, and that Californians can access training and support to enable digital inclusion.

The Plan is punctuated with tangible and measurable results. It will be updated annually through 2025 in partnership with key state, local, and Tribal government agencies, internet service providers, nonprofits, and other broadband stakeholders. Lead agencies or organizations will regularly report on their ongoing progress, and the Council will convene quarterly meetings to discuss and determine the next steps. The plan was approved unanimously at the December 17 CBC Special Meeting and submitted to the Governor’s office on December 31, 2020.