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
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
Senator Alex Padilla shares a message for all Californians who qualify to Get Connected to the Affordable Connectivity Program and start saving $30 on their Home Internet bill. As State Senator, Alex Padilla authored legislation to establish the California Advanced Services Fund and the California […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
California State Association of Counties (CSAC) President and Riverside County Supervisor, Chuck Washington shares a message encouraging county leaders to close the Digital Divide in their communities by increasing awareness of and participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program. CSAC represents all 58 California counties. This […]
“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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Latest News
A surprisingly large number of locations across the United States have little to no competition among Internet service providers, which can lead to expensive — and not always great — service A lack of competition for service generally comes hand-in-hand with higher costs for consumers […]
In local news, the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) announced last week that 36 local governments will be receiving grants for digital equity. This includes city and county governments. Each local government will receive $20,000 to participate. CETF has been working to provide a better […]
The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) announced today the award of $20,000 Digital Equity Leadership Grants to 36 jurisdictions in California to participate in the Local Government Best Practices Check List Project to accelerate the adoption of policies and practices to accelerate progress in closing […]