Catalyst for Action
Watch Digital Access is a 21st Century Civil Right, Digital Equity Conversations with Dolores Huerta, or Mignon Clyburn and Rachelle Chong. View Statewide Survey 2021 Results; Ten Years of Achievement in Closing the Digital Divide Report and Video, or A Broadband Deployment and Adoption Resource Guide. Visit the CETF YouTube. Research California Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Enrollment by County or Zip Code.
CETF provides leadership statewide to close the “Digital Divide” by accelerating the deployment and adoption of broadband to unserved and underserved communities and populations.
Digital Champion Spotlight
The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) was established by the visionary leadership of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and voluntary agreements by AT&T and Verizon to contribute $60 million seed capital to launch this unique organization in the nation with the sole mission and […]
Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin has served as the Lead Faculty for the School2Home Leadership Academy since 2014. Eastin has lead several projects with School2Home including participating the annual Leadership Academy where educators and administrators from California Middle Schools gather to share […]
Outstanding Performance by an Organization Award Recipient COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES CENTER The Community Development Technologies Center (CDTech) developed the TechREADY program to increase competitiveness of Vernon-Central youth and families through technology skills and jobs to close the Digital Divide and strengthen the local and regional […]
Martha van Rooijen, Manager, Inland Empire Regional Broadband Consortium, has stepped up to spearhead initiatives with a $500,000 Caltrans grant to promote broadband as a “green strategy” by integrating deployment and transportation planning.
In the heart of Silicon Valley, 50,000 San José households are not connected to high-speed Internet service at home, and many lack computing devices and the digital skills to access the full benefits of the technology developed in the region. Under the leadership of Mayor […]
Kenneth Shelton specializes in leveraging instructional technology to effectively engage middle school students and raise student achievement. As part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Shelton is an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Innovator. He regularly keynotes conferences and leads workshops […]
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has welcomed collaboration and insight from CETF on how to close the Digital Divide. In April 2020, in response to COVID-19, Superintendent Thurmond invited CETF to join the California Department of Education and ISPs that serve the […]
2012 Don and Rosemary Vial Awards for Digital Inclusion Outstanding Performance by an Organization Award Recipient THE ACME NETWORK ACME was founded in 1995 as a work force development collaboration (Work Force L.A.) bringing education and industry together to ensure that all Los Angeles students […]
Bob Cabeza, who retired in early 2020, has been with the YMCA of Greater Long Beach for 26 years. His leadership, knowledge and skills have been pivotal to the success of the Neighborhood Transformation Partnership in Long Beach. In particular, Mr. Cabeza supported the YMCA […]
Exemplary Individual Performance Awardee Ms. PAMELA J. STILES School2Home Coordinator, Technology Coach Pamela Stiles has been a dedicated leader in her position as Coordinator of the CETF School2Home Pilot Program at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School. Located in the historically underserved Boyle Heights neighborhood of […]
Former State Superintendent Tom Torlakson has endorsed the School2Home program and has encouraged funders, state agencies and superintendents statewide to take the time to invest resources into programs that help parents and their students gain digital skills and learn about opportunities online including how to […]
Exemplary Individual Performance Awardee Ms. DEBORAH BROOKS Executive Director The ACME Network Debbie has always been a visionary in the workforce development arena. Coming from the private industry as a seasoned project manager, staff recruiter, and training specialist, and from the education field as an […]
Southeast Community Development Corporation (SCDC) is on target to achieve 5,000 new or reconnected broadband adoptions among low-income, Spanish-speaking clients. With a $1 million annual budget, the nonprofit has grown into a regional workforce training powerhouse focusing on broadband adoption and digital literacy education for […]
The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFLIC) sponsors events to help people with disabilities sign up for affordable home Internet, enabling them to access work and educational opportunities. CETF encourages collaboration with grantees and other stakeholders including Strategic Partnerships with government, foundations and employers […]
Cesar is a true steadfast champion of Neighborhood Transformation (NT). He appreciates the importance and need for strategic partnerships and has effectively communicated it to other partners so that they, too, share a sense of ownership for achieving improved outcomes for children and families through […]
The Neighborhood Transformation Partnership in Contra Costa County is the first collaboration in the state of California in which the governing boards of the County, City, and School District have each entered into and approved a Partnership Agreement. John Gioia, Contra Costa County Supervisor, took […]
“If we look at the data of who is unconnected to the Internet it is very similar to which kids are the most academically behind. These also happen to be the children who are attending the least resourced schools; there is an overlap, a correlation. […]
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion. She supports Oakland CBOs that help residents in need of access to discount home broadband, digital literacy training and low-cost computers. At the start of 2018, CETF relocated from San Francisco to Oakland. […]
Watch the Inaugural Quest for Digital Equity Conversation Series with former FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Rachelle Chong. And read one of Commissioner Mignon Clyburn’s final statements as a Commissioner on the Public Disclosure of ISP Data on Affordable Broadband Service Offerings.
On the Intersections of Possibility in exploring the concept of Neighborhood Transformation Dr. Tyrone Howard presents best practices in order to forge innovative approaches and establish next steps for county leaders to expand Digital Inclusion opportunities for their constituents. Dr. Howard spoke about the integral […]
The County of Sacramento, the City of Sacramento, and the Sacramento City School District, with the support of Trish Kelly at Valley Vision and CETF have formed a Neighborhood Transformation Partnership to improve the lives of the students attending Leataata Floyd Elementary School and their […]
Sophia Mendoza, Director, Instructional Technology Initiative at Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), oversees the integration of instructional technology across the nation’s second-largest school district. CETF is partnering with Mendoza’s team on School2Home to close the Digital Divide and Achievement Gap in middle schools. Her […]
Latest News
As schools open up, school districts and county offices of education throughout California we’re invited to participate in the ‘Get Connected! Initiative’ on Saturday. Enrollment events took place throughout the state to help more households start saving money on their monthly internet bills. Some families […]
Roughly 71,600 Sonoma County households could have free high-speed internet service via a federal subsidy program, yet only about 10% of those who are eligible have enrolled. Marin and Napa counties have similarly low enrollment. In Mendocino and Lake counties, where more than half of […]
As schools open up, all school districts and county offices of education are invited to participate in the Get Connected! Initiative. Get Connected! promotes the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a monthly discount of up to $30 off home internet to qualifying families of […]






















