$80,000 Awarded for Digital Equity Investments Across Four CCABC Jurisdictions
Valley Vision and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) are pleased to announce $20,000 Digital Equity Leadership Grant awards to four local government jurisdictions in the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC) region. The Local Governments in the Greater Sacramento Region receiving the Digital Equity Leadership Grant awards are:
- City of Citrus Heights
- City of Isleton
- City of West Sacramento
- Yuba County
As part of the grant award, the four CCABC jurisdictions join the list of 36 awarded jurisdictions across California committed to participating in the Local Government Best Practices Check List Project, in order to support the adoption of policies and practices, as well as accelerate progress in closing the Digital Divide in California. The project includes attending quarterly Learning Community roundtables; the concept of the Learning Community recognizes that local leaders will drive progress if supported to share their experiences to coach one another with peer accountability for measurable progress.
“The County appreciates the opportunity to commune and engage with the greater California broadband stakeholder community to incorporate best practices on broadband expansion, toward the goal of maximizing connectivity for the citizens of Yuba County. We are pleased to accept the support of the California Emerging Technology Fund in furthering the County’s broadband mission, and look forward to pursuing implementation of lessons that have been learned elsewhere. Digital inclusion and digital equity are at the forefront of economic development priorities, as their expansion has the potential to have an outsized positive impact on all aspects of participation in the modern economy.”
–Ian Scott, Yuba County Special Projects Manager
“I look forward to applying the award to best advantage for our people that reside here, local businesses that have chosen Isleton for their nexus, and the outsiders that visit this unique location. We intend to emphasize affordability and accessibility throughout the application of this award. With limited access to transportation services and basic infrastructure, beautiful semi-rural communities like Isleton must seek their future online.”
-David Kent, City of Isleton Councilmember
Local Governments will be able to use the $20,000 Grant as they see most useful to close the Digital Divide in their jurisdiction. They also will be provided information by CETF about affordable lower-cost Internet service plans and available digital literacy training resources to distribute in their digitally-disadvantaged neighborhoods.
About the Local Government Best Practices Check List Project:
The Local Government Best Practices Check List was developed and released in 2021 by CETF, Regional Broadband Consortia, and the California State Association of Counties. It sets forth 5 Best Practices for each of 5 Roles that Local Governments can play in closing the Digital Divide, promoting Digital Inclusion, and achieving Digital Equity: (1) Policy Leader; (2) Planner; (3) Regulator; (4) Consumer Purchaser; and (5) Service Provider. The Check List provides a framework for Local Governments to assess their own progress.
These 5 Roles were first delineated in a Resource Guide for Local and Regional Leaders published by CETF in 2010 in collaboration with the Orange County Business Council and updated in 2021 in partnership with Valley Vision, the fiscal agent for the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium.
The updated resource guide, “Getting Connected: A Broadband Deployment and Adoption Resource Guide for Local and Regional Government Leaders” highlights the Local Government Best Practices Check List, as well as broadband masterplans, ordinances, and case studies to support local government leadership in broadband deployment. The Getting Connected resource guide continues to be a valuable resource for governments, with mentions across several toolkits, including the California Department of Technology.
Grant Partnerships
Sunne McPeak, CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, notes: “We are grateful to Valley Vision for reaching out and engaging leading-edge jurisdictions to pave the path forward. There is so much power and innovation that emerges when we join forces to deploy high-speed Internet infrastructure and get all residents online—especially the most digitally-disadvantaged residents in low-income communities.” McPeak also expressed appreciation to the California Department of Technology (CDT) Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy for contributing valuable content about broadband deployment permit streamlining to the Learning Community. CDT Broadband Access & Deployment Advisor Maria Kelly will be participating in the Learning Community to help support the 36 Local Governments.
Valley Vision is thankful to CETF for its $80,000 investment into the region, as the region’s awarded jurisdictions will receive guidance and support on digital access best practices from the 36 awarded jurisdictions across the state, as well as flexibility in digital equity opportunities to pursue through their grant award.
Envisioning ‘Broadband For All’ in the Greater Sacramento Region
On May 11th Valley Vision, as manager of the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium, hosted California’s Broadband for All Digital Equity and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Planning Workshop for the Greater Sacramento Region. This event was held in collaboration with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Department of Technology (CDT) and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), as one of 17 regional workshops being convened across the state. The event provided an opportunity for more than 160 participants to contribute vital input on regional needs and priorities for the state’s ‘Broadband For All’ action plan. The recommendations will help shape California’s Digital Equity Plan being submitted to the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA). As part of a national process, NTIA will then determine the allocation of BEAD funding for each state.
Local leaders and broadband champions, including Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, and Valley Vision CEO Evan Schmidt highlighted the unique needs and assets of our region, along with their commitment to bridging the digital divide in collaboration with community stakeholders and state and federal partners.
“Digital equity is a civil rights issue,” Steinberg told participants. “It involves unincorporated areas. It involves rural areas. But it is also an urban issue. This is really serious and important work.”
State and federal leaders from the CPUC, CDT, California’s Department of Education, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), and NTIA detailed the progress of the State’s ongoing planning and deployment efforts. These include the development of the State’s Middle-Mile open access network, new Last Mile infrastructure funding sources, resources such as California Local Jurisdiction Permitting Playbook, and progress from Broadband for All Roundtables. CPUC Commissioner Darcie Houck noted that funding from numerous new sources will make a major difference in closing the digital divide, although even more will be needed eventually.
Amplifying Community Voices
Following remarks and overview, the Workshop provided a space for several community members to voice their experiences with digital access. As each Lived Experience Speaker took the stage, their unique history and stories were pivotal in sparking discussions across attendees. Lived Experience Speakers not only represented the region, but also federally-designated covered populations which have been historically underrepresented in digital inclusion and broadband implementation. Hearing the experiences and insights of community members underscored the importance of bridging the Digital Divide, and led the way to the Workshop’s segment on developing and leading calls to action.
Led by CETF, the collaboration session gathered input from participants to create actionable recommended strategies across various areas – including each covered population group and outcome area. The eight covered populations groups, which have been disproportionately affected by digital redlining are, Individuals living in covered households, Aging Individuals, Incarcerated Individuals, Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities, Individuals with language barriers, Members of a racial or ethnic minority group, and Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area. The six outcome area working groups, which are high priorities areas for digital equity are, Education, Health, Digital Literacy and Inclusion, Essential Services, Accessibility and Civic Engagement, Workforce and Economic Development, and Tribal Collaboration.
Participants’ recommended strategies include to “incorporate digital literacy education and information about affordable offers into existing programs, including Veterans Administration healthcare facilities” and “propose increased funding to support a program to provide language support and translation services during appointments.”
The Greater Sacramento Workshop featured both high registration and attendance numbers, with attendance totaling to over 160 participants. The success of the Greater Sacramento Workshop would not have been possible without the support of our regional network and community members, as well as our dedicated state partners. Valley Vision greatly thanks all attendees for their participation at the Workshop, assistance in outreach, and guided input in the planning process.
Continuing Engagement
As efforts continue, Valley Vision is committed to informing and engaging the region on critical broadband infrastructure, access and deployment. We invite organizations and community members involved in digital equity to attend the Capital Region Coalition for Digital Inclusion (CRCDI)’s upcoming meeting on Friday, June 23rd from 11am – 12:30pm. The meeting will focus on outcomes and findings from our region’s BEAD and Digital Equity Workshop, along with updates on the State’s Digital Equity Plan. Register HERE.
Additionally, we encourage civic organizations, community members, and entities across education, health, economic and workforce sectors to participate in and support outreach for the California Digital Equity Survey. Information collected from the survey will help inform the State’s Digital Equity Plan, and help ensure community access to high quality and affordable internet service, devices, skills training, and digital support. The survey is estimated to be 10-15 minutes, and is available in 14 languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, Persian/Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Punjabi, and Khmer. Access the California Digital Equity Survey HERE.