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Author: Brent Stromberg

Why Smartphones Alone Won’t Close the Digital Divide

There is much to celebrate in the Field Poll's annual survey on the "digital divide" in California. The percentage of Californians with high-speed internet at home has risen to 84 percent in 2016 from 55 percent in 2008. But the divide between those who have [...]

Disconnected in Silicon Valley’s Shadow

While Facebook looks to bring internet access to India, many in nearby Fresno struggle with digital literacy. Other students complained that they're struggling to sign up for social security, Medicare, driver's license renewals, and student loan payments. The list goes on. Those governmental services have [...]

Bridge the Valley’s Gaping Digital Divide

For the past decade, residents of Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties in California's Central Valley have waited for high-speed internet access. We cheered when the state Legislature created the California Advanced Services Fund to pay for the laying of fiber-optic cable in rural areas. And [...]

A House Digitally Divided: Are Smartphones Enough

The term for people who only have smartphone internet access is “underconnected.” Sure, you can send text messages, take pictures, post on social media, and look up small bits of information on smartphones. There may seemingly be apps for almost anything, but they’re not appropriate [...]

Refund Program to Help Expand Broadband Internet Service

California has reached 97 percent broadband deployment and could hit its statutory target of 98 percent by the end of 2015. Although broadband service is available, not all residents are able to afford it. For residents of small communities and older neighborhoods with clunky broadband [...]

Life Without Internet in Yolo County

Access to high-speed Internet (broadband) is no longer a luxury. It is a basic necessity in both rural and urban settings to support our community members with their education, access to health care and economic competitiveness in today's digital economy. While Yolo County sits just [...]

Bridge Digital Divide – Improve Student Outcomes

California, once revered as a top school system, now ranks among the bottom in the nation. Despite being one of the most expensive states to live in, California is near the bottom in per-pupil spending. Inadequate funding has led to teacher training and retention problems, [...]