California Awards Funding for Three Rural Broadband Projects

Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced a $7 million fund for Three Rural Broadband Projects under the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account.

Let’s read the news and find out more.

California Awards Funding for Three Rural Broadband Projects

The CASF Infrastructure Grant Account was established in 2008 and has since disbursed over $305 million in grants, enabling the growth of broadband infrastructure in previously unserved areas of the State.

This program is essential to CPUC-managed initiatives that address broadband adoption, affordability, assistance, and rollout.

Through the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced approximately $7 million in funding for three projects.

The Equal Access Summits to the Sea Project is by far the largest grant that has been announced with up to $5.65 million, which will be given to Cruzio Media Inc. to construct a middle- and last-mile network and bring high-speed broadband to underserved homes in the counties of Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.

Also, read “More RDOF Defaults Coming as Stakeholders Seek to Free BEAD Areas.”

Chief Operating Officer of Cruzio Media James Hackett stated, “The Summits to the Sea project serves rural, agricultural, and low-income communities flanked by mountainous areas.”

Hackett added, “Not far to the east are the affluent, tech-saturated cities of Silicon Valley. It is difficult to imagine a greater technical contrast—a greater digital divide. Fiber-optic broadband infrastructure is especially challenging throughout. The inability of residents to participate in the dominant industry of the area causes economic hardship and social division. The Summits to the Sea project addresses this serious situation.”

The Mobile Home Park 1 Project received the second-highest grant amount. Up to $889,083 will be given to Kwikbit Internet, Inc. for them to set up a fixed wireless access network and supply internet to 197 underserved homes in manufactured home parks in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties.

Lastly, the Anza Electric Cooperative, Inc. will receive $688,431 for the ConnectAnza Phase Three Project to construct 3.74 linear miles of fiber on existing poles as part of an FTTH project to help communities in the San Jacinto Mountains obtain broadband access.

Shawn Trento, Telecommunications Manager at Anza, stated, “This grant will allow for the construction of a fiber optic network to serve 28 CASF Priority Eligible homes and businesses in a remote and rural area that has been plagued in the past by wildfires and flooding,”

Trento added, “Access to fast and reliable internet access will increase residents’ access to employment, education, and entertainment resources as well as increasing public safety in the area. We appreciate the partnership of the CPUC and the opportunities provided by the CASF program to expand internet access for all Californians.”

In November of last year, the State of California announced that 484 applications totaling $4.6 billion—more than double the amount it had budgeted—had been received for its Federal Funding Account.

Commissioner Darcie L. Houck stated, “I am pleased to support these CASF grants that will provide over $7 million to build out broadband internet service to low-income households and businesses in unserved and underserved parts of our State.

“These awards will help address both the availability and affordability challenges to accessing broadband by supporting infrastructure grants that will bring essential broadband services to some of California’s most vulnerable customers.”