Skip to Content

City of Sacramento Passes Digital Inclusion Week Resolution

In early October, Valley Vision joined organizations across the nation to celebrate Digital Inclusion Week, an annual recognition week designed to advocate the importance of achieving digital equity for communities, celebrate digital inclusion achievements, and elevate local digital inclusion practices.

This year’s theme, “Stronger Together: Mobilizing Towards Sustainability,” emphasizes the importance of recognizing sustainability in partnerships and resources throughout the digital inclusion process in order to create a lasting impact towards digital equity.

Digital Inclusion Week Action

In support of this theme, Valley Vision, through the Capital Region Coalition for Digital Inclusion (CRCDI), conducted outreach support for Computers4Kids’ computer donation drive, in order to help connect with businesses and individuals in the region to donate their used devices in order to be refurbished.   

The drive consisted of both a business outreach portion as well as a donation event at the Teen Center in West Sacramento on October 9th. Through business outreach, Computers4Kids secured a Computer Donation Partner arrangement with Quick Quack Car Wash. Quick Quack Car Wash provided several used desktop computers for the event, and committed to donating regularly in the future.  

City of Sacramento Presents Digital Inclusion Week Resolution

On October 22nd, Valley Vision attended Sacramento City Council to accept the city’s Resolution acknowledging Digital Inclusion Week, presented by Councilmember Katie Valenzuela. The Resolution, developed in partnership with CRCDI, recognizes the longstanding commitment of CRCDI and its partner organizations in delivering digital inclusion support and services across the region, in order to bridge the digital divide.

Valley Vision was joined by partners across the region, including California State University, Sacramento, Computers4Kids, Sacramento Public Library, Sagent Marketing, United Way Connected Capital Region, and World Education. Kevin Flash, CRCDI Chair, and Dawnte Early, CEO of United Way California Capital Region and Valley Vision Board Member provided public comment during the presentation, highlighting the importance of continued partnerships in digital inclusion efforts and recognizing the city’s ongoing commitment to digital equity.

Valley Vision is thankful to the City of Sacramento for its longstanding commitment to supporting digital inclusion activities in the region, as well as leading recognition of Digital Inclusion Week within the Greater Sacramento Region. In October 2019, the City of Sacramento was the first within the region to pass this resolution, formally launching National Digital Inclusion Week in the region.

Digital Inclusion Week 2023

In support of 2023’s theme, “Building Connected Communities,” Valley Vision, as manager of the Capital Region Coalition for Digital Inclusion (CRCDI), hosted an Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) enrollment site at the Robla Family Festival on October 7th. As a result of the Coalition’s efforts, 50 households received the opportunity to inquire about or sign-up for ACP. Following the enrollment event, 4 households which signed-up for ACP were selected to receive a free laptop device.

As a part of CRCDI’s efforts for Digital Inclusion Week, Sacramento City Councilmembers Katie Valenzuela and Lisa Kaplan attended the Robla Family Festival to present the city’s Resolution acknowledging Digital Inclusion Week to Valley Vision, CRCDI, and United Way Connected Capital Region.

$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.

Getting-Connected-A-Broadband-Deployment-and-Adoption-Resource-Guide-For-Local-and-Regional-Government-LeadersDownload

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.

Investments Towards Equity: Supporting Device Access and Digital Literacy with Leataata Floyd Elementary School

Valley Vision, joined by community partners, announced a $50,000 digital equity grant award from AT&T that is being used for support device distribution and training. The AT&T Neighborhood Transformation Grant is supporting digital literacy and access to new computers for unserved and underserved residents of two public housing projects in the city of Sacramento, Marina Vista and Alder Grove.

Additionally, the grant is supporting the development of a Community Resource Center, with access to devices for families and a laptop lending program, to be managed by Leataata Floyd Elementary School. The Community Resource Center will feature digital literacy training provided by community partners.

As part of the grant, Valley Vision acquired 133 new laptop devices through partnership a with Human I-T. The next step for the project, led by Leataata Floyd Elementary and supported by Valley Vision and the Sacramento Housing and Development Agency, includes conducting a community needs survey, launching the Resource Center, and hosting the laptop distribution event.

Supporting Leataata Floyd Elementary School

The AT&T grant builds upon the investment of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), to implement the School2Home project, initiated in 2015, at Leataata Floyd Elementary School, with the support of Valley Vision.

As the first elementary school in the state to join the program, School2Home helped to provide the infrastructure and support services needed to increase both student achievement and family success, including chromebooks for every student to use in school and at home; enhanced teacher professional development and training on integration of technology into instruction; increased parent engagement; and student Tech Expert Development. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for affordable high speed internet access at home, along with more devices for families.

Community Partners

Valley Vision is thankful for the support of our partners from the Office of Representative Doris Matsui, city of Sacramento Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, and the Food Literacy Center, in celebrating the launch of the AT&T project grant award.

Capital Region Workforce Boards Champion Digital Inclusion

The Capital Region’s four workforce boards recognize the digital divide must be addressed in order to support inclusive job growth and social mobility for our region’s workers. In response, they have provided a  significant investment in the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion’s (Coalition) efforts to address digital skills, technology access, and broadband infrastructure and affordability needs. The Capital Region Workforce Boards include SETA/Sacramento Works, Golden Sierra Job Training Agency, YoloWorks and North Central Counties Consortium. According to Roy Kim, Deputy Director of SETA/Sacramento Works, “Digital skills have become part of the basket of basic skills that job seekers need to obtain employment and advance along a career pathway.”  The funding provided will support the effort to sustain, implement and expand the Coalition’s work to ensure traditionally underserved community members receive access, devices and skill building resources to participate in our increasingly digital world. 

Valley Vision is actively working to close the digital divide in the Capital region. The Coalition, managed by Valley Vision, recently completed a 2021 Action Plan as a roadmap to advance and expand digital inclusion in three core areas: broadband access and adoption, hardware devices, and digital literacy and skills. Valley Vision also manages the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium, connecting the region’s underserved households with high speed broadband infrastructure. By addressing needs in infrastructure, affordability, technology access, and digital skills, our region is taking a comprehensive approach to closing the digital divide – recognizing that these pillars are co-equal in addressing economic and educational inequity.

The Coalition was founded as a response to the 2018 Brookings Institution economic assessment, commissioned by Valley Vision and civic partners in the Sacramento Capital Region.  With the onset of COVID-19, the Coalition quickly mobilized and expanded vital digital equity efforts. The effort has expanded since that time and today consists of a steering committee of representatives from the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Public Library, as founding SCDI members, and the Capital Region Workforce Boards, California State University Sacramento, Los Rios Community College District, and Clear Strategies with participation from over one hundred additional community leaders and stakeholders. Advancing digital skills and closing the digital divide are called out as major regional priorities in the Capital region’s inclusive economic development plan, Our Path Forward: The Prosperity Strategy. 

The Workforce Boards have been vital contributors to the region’s economic prosperity with prior initiatives that support entrepreneurship, high-growth industry sectors, and through advancing research on the Future of Work. This critical investment in digital inclusion will help to advance an inclusive, regional workforce and further equity efforts in our shared economy.

To keep up with Valley Vision’s work to advance a future-ready workforce in the Sacramento region, subscribe to our 21st Century Workforce email newsletter!

Renee John is a Valley Vision Project Leader managing initiatives within the 21st Century Workforce impact area.

Note: The Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

The Latest on Broadband Coverage in the Capital Region

In November 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released the latest broadband availability data that reflect broadband coverage in California as of December 2019. This blog will present an overview of the broadband coverage in the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC) Region, and in the four counties (Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba), based on the following speed standards:

  • 6/1 Mbps (megabits per second): Current California standard (AB1665).
  • 25/3 Mbps: FCC standard. Minimum recommended in a previous blog for households using video conference applications for education or work, and/or having multiple simultaneous users at home.
  • 100/20 Mbps: Goal set in the Governor’s Executive Order and the California Broadband 4 All Action Plan.
  • 1Gbps/500Mbps: FCC Gigabit service standard.

Based on these standards, the table below presents the coverage and percentage of served and unserved households. At the standard of 6/1 Mbps, the region is at 97.4% coverage (around 17,000 unserved households) which is close to the goal of 98% broadband access in California and in each consortium region. Sacramento has the highest coverage, 97.7%, followed by Sutter, 97%, Yolo, 96.4%, and Yuba, 94.7%. For the 25/3 Mbps standard, the figures are slightly below, achieving a 96.9% in the region (around 20,000 unserved households). At the 100/20 Mbps standard, the regional coverage turns into 93.2%, increasing the number of unserved households to around 44,000. For these three standards, regional coverage is comfortably above 90% coverage, however, for the Gigabit standard, the regional coverage dramatically drops to 22.5% or half a million unserved households.

The figure below shows the layered coverage at the speed standards mentioned above. The higher speeds coverage, 100/20 Mbps and Gigabit (in blue and gray, respectively), is mostly in main urban and densely populated areas across the region. Speeds of 6/1 Mbps and 25/3 Mbps (in light blue and green, respectively) are also available in these areas, and additionally, in suburban and some rural areas. Areas unserved at 6/1 Mbps or with no service are mostly scattered across rural areas across the four counties.

The table and figure below present the broadband coverage by four technologies widely used to provide internet service: DSL, Cable Modem, Fiber to the location (FTTx), and fixed wireless (unlicensed and licensed). Cable Modem has the highest coverage in the region, 94%, and in each of the four counties, followed by legacy DSL, 76%. FTTx achieves a regional presence of around 35%, followed by fixed wireless, 4%. It is important to note that in the figure below, fixed wireless shows the largest footprint in the region, however, this coverage is mostly in less densely populated rural areas. As a result, fixed wireless covers less number of households than the other technologies.

It is important to note that the CPUC broadband availability data is self-reported from ISPs and telecom companies. Many local broadband stakeholders (local governments, communities, residents, and other ISPs) have expressed concerns that some of the data do not reflect what is actually available. For those cases, the CPUC has implemented several validation methods which can be found here. The CCABC recommends internet users to download and run the CalSPEED app (calspeed.org) in order to validate broadband coverage and speeds in the region. In conclusion, these latest CPUC broadband availability figures show that, based on the California 6/1 Mbps standard, our consortium region is still below the 98% availability for households. For the other standards, availability continues dropping to near 93% for 100/20 Mbps, and 22% for an ideal Gigabit service.

This 2021, the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC) looks forward to continuing working with all broadband stakeholders to get closer to the goal of achieving ubiquitous reliable high-speed and affordable broadband internet for all.

To continue staying up to date with all of the region’s broadband efforts, subscribe to Valley Vision’s e-Connect email newsletter!

David Espinoza is a former Valley Vision Project Leader who managed broadband projects and other initiatives in the Innovation & Infrastructure impact area.

The Year In Broadband…

Broadband has long been recognized as indispensable to equity and economic development. In recent years, significant progress has been made to ensure statewide access. Still, over 8 million California residents do not have broadband subscriptions. We have a long way to go before broadband in California is truly ubiquitous. 

In 2020, there has been accelerated momentum around the issue. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced many Californians to pivot some of the most crucial elements of their life — work, school, healthcare, access to services — to an online setting. This shift is an urgent reminder that, in this day and age, broadband infrastructure and adoption is as crucial as roads or electricity.

Valley Vision works with counties, cities, anchor institutions, community groups, businesses, policymakers, and others to bridge the Digital Divide and promote equal access to technology. In 2020, this was embodied in our work contributing to state broadband policy, together with the California Broadband Council, California Forward, the California Emerging Technology Fund, and legislative leaders; our continued role as manager of the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium; and our management of the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion, among others. Broadband infrastructure and adoption is also identified as a high priority of the region’s Prosperity Strategy.

State-level highlights:

  • Valley Vision worked closely with California Forward, the California Emerging Technology Fund, and regional broadband consortia to provide input on AB 14, the Internet for All Now Act of 2021. The Bill would authorize the ongoing collection of an existing surcharge on revenues collected by telecommunications providers from customers. The surcharge funds the California Advanced Services Fund, which provides rural and urban communities with infrastructure and other grants administered by the California Public Utilities Commission. This new legislation was announced by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry at the California Economic Summit during a panel on Bridging the Digital Divide, together with Senator Mike McGuire; Trish Kelly, Managing Director of Valley Vision; and Deputy Director Stephanie Tom of the California Department of Technology. Senator Lena Gonzalez introduced similar legislation — SB 4, the Broadband for All Now Act. Both legislators will be principal co-authors on each Bill. This is a major milestone and we hope for quick action in 2021. 
  • Valley Vision, in collaboration with the California Broadband Council and California Forward, facilitated input for the State’s Broadband Action Plan. An updated draft of the Plan was presented at the Broadband Council’s meeting on Thursday, December 17. The Plan provides a rich overview of the state of broadband across the State, a financial cost model for reaching all Californians with high-speed Internet, and many recommendations for action in 2021. 
  • Valley Vision co-led this year’s Ensuring Broadband For All working group at the California Economic Summit. The group’s efforts focused on increasing broadband access and adoption in both rural and urban areas. The group developed core principles to drive funding and policy solutions; encouraged collaboration on legislative solutions; supported the State Broadband Action Plan; and worked with the California Public Utilities Commission and others on innovative approaches to infrastructure investment, including leveraging federal resources.

Regional highlights:

  • Valley Vision manages the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium. Funding for the Consortium was renewed by the California Public Utilities Commission in October 2019, for a three-year period. The Consortium is charged with engaging stakeholders to achieve the broadband connectivity goal of 98% of all households, assisting internet service providers in the region with their California Advanced Services Fund infrastructure grant applications, among other goals. In 2020, Digital Path and Frontier submitted a total of three applications to carry out broadband deployment in Sacramento, Sutter, and Yolo Counties. The Consortium will continue to work with incumbent, competitive, and new entrant internet service providers.
  • Valley Vision, together with its partners, finalized and published the Sacramento Region’s Prosperity Strategy — the economic roadmap that ensures a strong, inclusive, and equitable economy. The Strategy calls out broadband infrastructure and adoption, including digital skills acquisition, as high priorities for the region, and was approved by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. 
  • Valley Vision is working with local government partners in Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties to identify priority areas for broadband expansions or upgrades, including 5G. This includes generating an infrastructure and asset inventory in collaboration with the California Public Utilities Commission, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, Caltrans, CENIC, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, the Los Rios Community College District, Sacramento State, the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento Promise Zone, among others.
  • Valley Vision, the California Emerging Technology Fund, and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments virtually co-convened broadband partners and stakeholders to discuss strategies for accelerating broadband infrastructure investments across the region. The event also showcased highlights of “Getting Connected,” a resource guide for local and regional government leaders featuring best practices, policies, and innovative models to catalyze infrastructure investment and adoption. The resource guide will be rolled out statewide in January 2021. 
  • Valley Vision put out a Business Broadband Service Survey to assess the current status of broadband service availability and subscription for businesses and community anchor institutions. Results from the survey will help determine and recommend improvements to broadband stakeholders, such as providers and local governments. Outreach for this survey will continue in 2021, through social media, newsletters, and outreach to business chambers. 
  • Valley Vision launched a campaign — via social media, its newsletters, and outreach to partners and stakeholders — around ground-truth testing of broadband speeds using the CalSPEED app. The app securely tests residential and mobile broadband speeds. Often, the speeds reported by internet service providers are not accurate. Information from the CalSPEED app creates an accurate assessment of actual broadband availability and adoption. Results are used to update the California Public Utilities Commission statewide coverage map and inform infrastructure investments. The campaign resulted in more than 500 CalSPEED tests in our Consortium region. It will continue throughout 2021.
  • Valley Vision is completing its Preferred Scenario report for the region, in partnership with the California Emerging Technology Fund. The Preferred Scenario report identifies gaps in broadband deployment and access and the available local assets to address these gaps for the region’s Preferred Scenario corridor — the I -5 corridor. This corridor was identified through the Strategic Broadband Corridors project with Caltrans and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. This report will identify strategies for leveraging investments. 
  • Valley Vision, in partnership with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, hosted a webinar focused on exploring innovative broadband infrastructure solutions, specifically the co-op model.
  • The Federal Communications Commission announced  the results of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction. Winners in our Consortium region (Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties) include Cal.Net, Geolinks, Frontier, LTD Broadband, and Space Exploration Technologies (Space X). Most locations will be receiving broadband with speeds of 100/20 Mbps, and gigabit-speed broadband. Click here to see the map.

Local highlights:

  • Valley Vision is developing a Broadband Master Plan for Yuba County, in partnership with the County and Yuba Water Agency. The plan will be completed in the second quarter of 2021. 
  • Valley Vision is managing the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion, in collaboration with the city of Sacramento, the Sacramento Public Library, the Los Rios Community College District, California State University Sacramento, and Clear Strategies, among other community partners. The Coalition will be rolling out the 2021 Action Plan for broadband access, adoption, affordability, and digital inclusion and skills, including scale-up opportunities beyond Sacramento County. 
  • Valley Vision, in collaboration with the Delta Protection Commission, developed a broadband coverage report that will help to identify areas where service most needs improvement. This will empower community leaders and internet service providers to leverage existing opportunities for service expansion and upgrades, and to seek broadband deployment funding.    

Valley Vision hosted a webinar on “Community Broadband in Yolo County,” in partnership with the Woodland Technology Alliance. The webinar was a conversation about the current state of the County’s technical infrastructure, as well as solutions to address the community’s broadband gaps. A full recording can be found here, and a summary of the discussion can be found here.

To continue staying up to date with all of the region’s broadband efforts, subscribe to Valley Vision’s e-Connect email newsletter!

Trish Kelly is Valley Vision’s Managing Director, leading its food, agriculture, workforce, and broadband initiatives.

David Espinoza is a Valley Vision Project Leader managing broadband projects and other initiatives in the Innovation & Infrastructure impact area.

Isa Avanceña is a Valley Vision Project Associate supporting the Board of Directors, and the Innovation & Infrastructure and Leadership and Civic Engagement Impact areas.

Highlighting Sacramento Region Digital Inclusion Efforts

There has never been a more critical time for discussion of digital inclusion which has recently been referred to by the Center for Public Integrity as the “civil rights issue of our time.”  As the Pandemic has upended education and workforce, it has left in its wake a widening chasm between community members with resources and those without.  In recognition of National Digital Inclusion week, Valley Vision highlights the history, continuing collaborative work, and new momentum of the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion, a regional approach to creating more opportunities for digital equity.

Discussion which formed the beginnings of the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion began in the fall of 2018 inspired by a Brookings Institution report on the strengths and weaknesses of the Sacramento Capital region.  A series of community discussions occurred to organize around the mission of digital equity, with the Sacramento Public Library hosting the Sacramento Digital Inclusion Summit in January 2019. This led to the creation of the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion, with more than 40 members, led by a Steering Committee comprised of the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento Public Library, Valley Vision  and Social Ventures Partners. During 2019, the Coalition built collaborative relationships, conducted assessments of needs including through community engagement, and produced an initial report focused on increasing digital access, both to affordable Internet and devices, and digital literacy/skills. The City of Sacramento passed a resolution in October 2019 to launch National Digital Inclusion Week in the region.  

With the onset of the Pandemic, the work of the Coalition became even more important and the need for a funding mechanism to drive forward momentum and staff this increasingly important body of work required an urgent solution.  Valley Vision has been successful in securing short term funding to continue and expand this valuable work through the Morgan Family Foundation and Union Bank, on behalf of community partners and stakeholders.

Current Coalition Steering Committee members include the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento Public Library, and Valley Vision, joined by representatives from Los Rios Community College District and California State University Sacramento, with the Coalition being a vibrant group of over 60 community members and leaders.  Three working groups were successfully relaunched in a well attended September Coalition meeting to establish key objectives and drive the work plan of the Coalition in the areas of Internet Access and Adoption, Technology Devices, and Digital Literacy/Digital Skills.  

Valley Vision is thankful to the dedicated efforts of the Steering Committee and all members committing their time and talent to align and drive investment in a regional and sustained response to urgent digital inclusion needs.  We invite you to join in this work at our next Coalition meeting on October 23rd 11 am to 12:30 pm and help us build a regional digital inclusion work plan to address disparities throughout our region and build a better future for all.  

Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion Steering Committee:

  • Aubrey Taylor, City of Sacramento
  • Jarrid Keller, Sacramento Public Library
  • Karina Talamantes, City of Sacramento, Sacramento County Board of Education
  • Kevin Flash, Sacramento City College
  • Tamara Armstrong, Los Rios Community College District
  • Dr. Yvonne Harris, California State University Sacramento
  • Trish Kelly, Valley Vision, Managing Director
  • Renee John, Valley Vision
  • Dr. David Espinoza, Valley Vision
  • Jesse Flores, Valley Vision

To keep up with Valley Vision’s work to advance a future-ready workforce in the Sacramento region, subscribe to our 21st Century Workforce email newsletter!”

Renee John is a Valley Vision Project Leader managing initiatives within the 21st Century Workforce impact area.

Continuing Our Work Toward “Broadband for All”

As our region grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on daily life and the economy — now compounded by the ongoing wildfires — the digital divide continues to grow. The ability to do distance learning, telecommuting, and telehealth is critical, and it is becoming increasingly clear that there can be no real equity without ubiquitous broadband. State, regional, and local solutions must be pursued concurrently, in an “all hands on deck,” multi-pronged approach. 

State-level updates

On August 14, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-73-20, to address the broadband access, adoption, and training needs of Californians — all made more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following are some of the Order’s major provisions: 

  1. The order directs the California Broadband Council (CBC) to create a new State Broadband Action Plan by December 31, 2020, incorporating a goal of 100 Mbps download speed for infrastructure investment. The Plan will include a roadmap to accelerate deployment and adoption of broadband by state agencies; support such deployment and adoption by local governments; and provide publicly accessible information on all federal and state funding opportunities. 
  2. The Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is directed to lead broadband data aggregation and mapping efforts, and to provide information on public and private broadband network infrastructure and the cost of deploying network components. This effort will be supported by the California State Transportation Agency and other relevant state agencies; local and tribal governments; and regional consortia, like the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC), managed by Valley Vision. 
  3. The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is directed to identify funding opportunities to support broadband, equipment, and digital literacy, in collaboration with all cabinet-level agencies, independent departments, and independent constitutional officers. 

In addition to these major provisions, the Order directs other state agencies to address the need for deployment and adoption by activating policies and leveraging resources — with particular emphasis on connecting residents with affordable internet service offerings, and ensuring that students have the connectivity and devices necessary for distance learning. 

On August 26, the CBC held a special session focused on the planning and implementation of the Governor’s Executive Order. CBC members and a wide range of broadband stakeholders attended the virtual meeting and provided input. The session generated the following proposed approach: 

  1. Developing an outline; 
  2. Articulating a vision;
  3. Compiling a fact base; 
  4. Developing a timing and cost model; 
  5. Mapping out funding and actions for 2021; 
  6. Conducting research on adoption gaps; and 
  7. Facilitating stakeholder sessions with local governments and the private sector. 

The regional broadband consortia, including the CCABC, will continue to actively support these efforts. 

Valley Vision has been working with the office of Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (Winters), the California Emerging Technology Fund, and a statewide network of more than 40 partners to support AB 570 – the Internet for All Act of 2020. AB 570 prioritizes the deployment of broadband infrastructure in the state’s most vulnerable, unserved, and underserved rural and urban communities. It extends the collection of funds for the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), to provide grants to bridge the Digital Divide. While the next stage of the legislative process is yet to be determined, the bill has helped make the case to the Legislature and Governor’s Office for increasing funding, to meet the needs that California is facing now and into the future. 

County-level efforts

As manager of the CCABC, Valley Vision hosted a webinar on August 11 on “Community Broadband in Yolo County,” in partnership with the Woodland Technology Alliance. The webinar was a conversation about the current state of the county’s technical infrastructure, as well as solutions to address the community’s broadband gaps. The webinar was a starting point for further exploring innovative strategies, and panelists represented several sectors of the region, including the local government, school district, and state government. A full recording can be found here, and a summary of the discussion can be found here. Valley Vision continues to work with Yolo and other counties to bring these issues to the forefront, and convene partners, stakeholders, and community members to build consensus and take next steps. 

Ground truth testing with CalSPEED

Valley Vision is working with local partners and communities from our region to demonstrate the need for better internet service in the region. Community members are encouraged to download the CPUC’s CalSPEED app, which securely tests residential and mobile broadband speeds. Results from the speed test crowdsource a statewide coverage map to inform infrastructure investments. A flyer containing information on the CalSPEED test can be found here. 

Additionally, the CPUC, in partnership with CSU, Chico and CSU, Monterey Bay are looking for volunteers to take part in the CalSPEED Home Broadband Study — a statewide effort to collect quality measurements utilizing the new CalSPEED Home Measurement Device. 

Please share this information with your partners, stakeholders, and networks. 

Low-cost internet service programs

In response to the increased need for distance learning, telecommuting, and telehealth capacity, several Internet Service Providers have begun offering low-cost internet service to families for qualifying low-income households. More information can be found here and here. Please share this information with your partners, stakeholders, and networks, to make sure that all community members are made aware of this option.

This blog focuses on just some of the updates at the state, county, and local level. To continue staying up to date with all of the region’s broadband efforts, subscribe to Valley Vision’s e-Connect email newsletter!

Trish Kelly is Valley Vision’s Managing Director, leading its food, agriculture, workforce, and broadband initiatives.

David Espinoza is a Valley Vision Project Leader managing broadband projects and other initiatives in the Innovation & Infrastructure impact area.

Isa Avanceña is a Valley Vision Project Associate supporting the Board of Directors, and the Innovation & Infrastructure and Leadership and Civic Engagement Impact areas.

A Crash Course in Community-Building

I moved to Sacramento in 2012 with every intention of building a career for myself that focused on helping people. As a Filipina-American I initially thought that my service would be through nursing, but my love of science couldn’t change my disposition in hospitals. I had a limited perspective of what service for my community meant, but Sacramento State taught me the importance of mentorship; Food Literacy Center exposed me to community development and Sacramento’s strong nonprofit system; and Valley Vision gave me the background and foresight to envision a better community across all systems.

Valley Vision has broadened my perspective and taught me that helping people takes more than single-handed transactional services. It requires collaboration, patience, and trust – all easily stated, but not so easily achieved. Yet this small, but mighty team takes on that task wholeheartedly! Valley Vision brings together workforce, education, employers and partners to align workforce initiatives; guide digital inclusion and broadband initiatives to connect our communities; and lift the voices of people throughout our region by advancing public opinion polling data. My experience at Valley Vision was a crash course in the expansive and unique systems that make up our community, exposing me to incredible organizations and populations that make Sacramento home to so many. Content expertise alone though is not enough to ensure collaboration or trust among these entities. In turn, Valley Vision is filled with devoted, adaptive, and compassionate individuals. 

I am forever grateful to have learned from and worked alongside this team. It has been an honor working on our workforce and broadband initiatives and my experience at Valley Vision has helped guide my path towards education. I am looking forward to advocating for digital inclusion in a new capacity as a teaching assistant, and later teacher, integrating what I have learned from Valley Vision’s future of work and regional digital skills initiatives into the classroom. 

Yzabelle Dela Cruz was a Valley Vision Project Associate supporting the 21st Century Workforce, Innovation & Infrastructure, and Food & Agriculture impact areas.

New Beginnings

I’m very excited to be writing to you today as Valley Vision’s new CEO. After six years at Valley Vision, most recently as the Director of Research and Strategy, I’m well acquainted with and fully committed to Valley Vision’s triple bottom line values of economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental sustainability to create livable communities. I’m also very aware that I’m coming into this leadership position at a difficult time in our history. As I begin my tenure as CEO, here is what I believe Valley Vision will need to focus on for the next three months and beyond, as we continue to navigate turmoil and challenges to our communities, economy, and well-being.

  1. Work from our strengths to be of service: Valley Vision is a servant leadership organization – we act as a regional steward to be of service to the people and places of our region. We are at our best when we are driving and catalyzing collaboration, advancing cutting edge applied research, and inspiring communities and leadership. With this in mind, we’ve prioritized a specific set of collaborative work to address challenges of the moment: creating an inclusive economy to support the region, creating pathways to future jobs, advancing digital inclusion for all, and increasing broadband access. The problems we face are complex and broad – Valley Vision will do best to focus our actions where we can be effective and valuable using our strengths to solve pressing issues.
  2. Do the next right thing: In this time of deep uncertainty, we act from our values and integrity and put one foot in front of the other to do the next right thing, even when it is hard or the big picture is unclear. In early Spring, that meant retreating to our homes to work and aiding in emergency response as we could. This summer, that has meant reflecting on how we can more deeply focus on racial justice, including participating in in-depth racial equity training during the month of July and developing concrete plans for ensuring that racial equity is central to our mission and apparent in the ways we recruit  and empower diverse staff and the ways we advance our work. In the face of shifting conditions and difficulty, it is important to keep moving forward and meet each new challenge with compassion and humanity. 
  3. Take the opportunity to reimagine: Change is knocking on our door, are we going to listen? COVID-19 has illuminated weaknesses in our systems. Let’s not rush to restore as we move forward in recovery – rather, let’s reimagine a better, more equitable future that reflects the world we need now, not the legacy of the past. The pain that has brought about a more widespread awareness of social injustice can pave the way for needed systemic changes to create a more just society. The pivot towards remote education can pave the way to more accessible and tailored educational systems that meet the needs of more students. The sudden grounding to home can create a path to more telework opportunities in the long term, reducing pollution and climate change impacts. These opportunities to change are here, it is up to us to seize them.

The job ahead won’t be easy and the conditions are as complex and difficult as I’ve seen in my lifetime. Since the announcement of my new position as CEO, I have been grateful for the expressions of support of many leaders and community members in our region. I know that I will continue to rely on that support, just as people in this region can rely on me. Grappling with the challenges that we face in the region will require that we do this together, working to reimagine and create a future that is better than our past.

Evan Schmidt is Valley Vision’s Chief Executive Officer.

Our Recent Days

In the past days, we have all witnessed the unjustifiable and unforgivable death of George Floyd at the hands of police, and thousands of peaceful demonstrators taking to the streets to demand justice and accountability. We have also seen property destruction and the enactment of a curfew for the first time since 1942.

We find ourselves living in multiple simultaneous, interlocking challenges: the public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic; the economic crisis spurred by the actions to address the pandemic; the longstanding social- and racial-justice crisis exacerbated by COVID-19 and set aflame by Floyd’s death; and a crisis of trust in leadership on all sides.

Understandably, we may despair. Yet, “It is possible to hold two contradictory truths at the same time,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said early Monday morning, in a good reminder of the resilience of the human mind and heart. While the moments of our last weeks and days may hold despair, they also hold hope.

Our hope in these times comes from the many people in our communities standing firm and resolved – demonstrators gathering peacefully; volunteers tidying the streets and storefronts in the aftermath of property damage; and the work of so many to connect and listen and understand.

From hope and understanding must come action, in many forms. Valley Vision’s fundamental purpose is to make our communities the most livable in the nation – which is, above all, a purpose of hope. For many, however, our communities are not livable. A pathway to truly inclusive economic recovery and growth requires ongoing collaborative actions of many across our communities.

For our part, Valley Vision is acting now to identify and remedy inequalities. Among other things, we’re acting to better target workforce training to current and future middle and high skills jobs; to gather data on regional residents’ resilience to COVID-19 impacts; to bring greater broadband access across the region; to increase digital skills for the jobs of the future; to activate communities about the importance of local air quality, and to support our manufacturing sector and its many good jobs. 

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King’s words from 1963 ring just as true fifty-seven years later. In these times of challenges and controversy, we are proud to be standing together in the Sacramento region as we build a just, equitable, and prosperous future for all of us.

Meg Arnold is Interim CEO of Valley Vision.

Regional Broadband Consortia Powers up for Three More Years

In November 2019, Valley Vision was awarded funding to manage the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortia (CCABC) for the next three years, working alongside other regional consortia to achieve 98% broadband access within each region – its third grant from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) since 2012.

The CCABC is tasked to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure throughout the four-county CCABC region (Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties), working with local municipalities, Internet service providers (ISPs), anchor institutions, community partners, and the State, among others to close the Digital Divide and improve access for the next three years. In this new phase of funding, the CCABC plans to use a reverse RFP approach, which will place a thorough case for investment in the hands of providers. The intent is to generate a more active response from providers by fulfilling as much of the planning work as possible and promoting competition.

Although there was a hiatus in CPUC funding in 2019 for most regional consortia, the CCABC was able to engage multiple stakeholders through several initiatives to improve broadband access, adoption and deployment. In February 2019, Valley Vision helped host a Digital Inclusion Summit, alongside the Sacramento Public Library and the City of Sacramento’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development, bringing together more than 100 participants, to facilitate collaboration among organizations and initiatives working to bridge the digital divide. This summit led to the development of the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion and the Digital Inclusion Week resolution passed in the City of Sacramento. In March 2019, Valley Vision hosted FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, to discuss rural broadband infrastructure and connectivity issues related to lack of eligibility for federal funding due to rural definitions, among other challenges. Chairman Pai visited two farms which are piloting ag technologies and the AgStart incubator in Woodland, and met with local and state policy leaders. The CCABC continues to work with the Chairman’s office and other Commissioners to address funding, mapping and other infrastructure challenges, along with federal agencies including NTIA, EDA and USDA and congressional representatives to advance regional broadband priorities. This work will continue as part of the 2020 Cap-to-Cap trip in April.

Through funding from the Delta Protection Commission, Valley Vision developed a broadband action plan for five legacy communities along the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, all facing rural broadband infrastructure and funding challenges. As a lead partner in developing the Capital Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Valley Vision incorporated broadband infrastructure and access priorities into both the infrastructure and workforce/digital skills strategies. Additionally, with support from the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), Valley Vision manages the Strategic Broadband Corridors Project, a statewide effort to coordinate the network of broadband consortia with CalTrans to conduct joint use/dig once projects along priority corridors/highways.

Glenda Humiston (VP of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources), Trish Kelly (Managing Director of Valley Vision), and Sunne McPeak (President & CEO of CA Emerging Technology Fund) at the Broadband Policy Forum.

To get updates on the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium and the Sacramento Coalition for Digital Inclusion, subscribe to our broadband newsletter today!

Yzabelle Dela Cruz is a Valley Vision Project Associate contributing to the Innovation & Infrastructure and 21st Century Workforce impact areas.

Valley Vision’s Trish Kelly also contributed to the writing of this blog.