The Affordable Connectivity Program is almost broke, and most recipients will receive only partial payments this month. We’re approaching the end of one of the largest investments in US history when it comes to closing the digital divide. Starting this month, recipients of benefits from the Affordable […]
Category: Media Coverage
Alfredo Camacho and his three daughters started a new routine last week: Every evening they go to the parking lot outside a nearby library to get Wi-Fi access. The kids do homework and download YouTube videos, while Alfredo checks his email and searches job listings. […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Leticia Alejandrez, Director of Communications California Emerging Technology Fund (916) 825-6104 Leticia.Alejandrez@cetFund.org Internet Access Enables Full Economic Participation Los Angeles and Sacramento, California – February 13, 2024. California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) applauds the visionary report by Rise Economy (formerly […]
While 91% of California households have internet service, an estimated 3.5 million people remain disconnected, according to new findings released Thursday. Cost is the main barrier to internet service, according to researchers who gave a briefing on Thursday. Residents spend an average of $83.60 per […]
About a fifth of people living on tribal lands don’t have broadband access. Some states are trying to help tribal efforts. In 2023, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico and Oregon enacted laws to support broadband expansion by streamlining funding to local governments, including tribes and underserved communities. […]
The Affordable Internet and Net Equality Act of 2024 (AB1588) was introduced by Assemblywoman Lori Wilson last year and sponsored by the California Emerging Technology Fund to ensure that all low-income households have the opportunity to subscribe to home Internet service at an affordable cost. […]
“We now know we still have some miles to go for Californians to achieve full adoption,” Sunne Wright McPeak, president and CEO of CETF, said in a statement. “The survey confirms that affordability remains the major barrier to broadband adoption and underscores the need to […]
Starting in Mid-January, millions of low income Californians will get the notice that their internet access subsidy funded by the Affordable Connectivity Program will run out by mid-April. Consequently reinstating the barrier at the heart of the digital divide, internet cost. Birthed as a result […]
The latest statewide survey by USC researchers and the California Emerging Technology Fund indicates that 91% of households in California have broadband, yet challenges persist for low-income K-12 families, including some who lost connectivity after COVID. Statewide broadband adoption remains high with 91% of households […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several pieces of legislation this week related to digital equity. First, he signed AB 414, known as the Digital Equity Bill of Rights. The legislation prohibits fixed and mobile Internet service providers from offering services other than broadband Internet access […]