Mayor Sam Liccardo
Embargoed: February 12, 2019
Contact: Ahmad Chapman, Office of Mayor Liccardo; 408-535-4857or ahmad.chapman@sanjoseca.gov
Stephanie Craig, Mayor’s Office of Technology & Innovation; 202-329-7545 or Stephanie.craig@apeironstrategy.com
San José Launches Digital Inclusion Fund
to Close the Digital Divide
San José, Calif. –Mayor Sam Liccardo today announced that the City of San José has authorized the creation of the San José Digital Inclusion Fund (DIF). This initiative, funded through private corporate investment and the largest of its kind in the nation, will provide programs and grants to the community to close the digital divide in San José.
“San José aspires to be the city where the opportunities of innovation empower all residents and communities, especially those historically underserved and marginalized. Access to reliable, high-speed internet service has become a necessity, not a luxury but the reality is 95,000 San José residents are ‘un-connected’ with no internet access at home. Today that changes,” said Mayor Liccardo. “The Digital Inclusion Fund will ensure that residents have access to appropriate technology, whether for homework, career opportunities, or healthcare, and access to digital literacy programs, so all San José residents are equipped for an increasingly digital, 21st century world.”
The Fund will be supported by the revenue from the small cell usage fees paid by telecommunications companies to upgrade broadband networks that lay the groundwork for 5G in San José. The City of San José and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) will raise additional private funding.