North County to receive $14M for faster internet | News

IMPERIAL— In today’s world, strong internet access appears to be accessible to all stratospheres of society regardless of socio-economic status, as even the unincorporated town called Slab City has an internet café.  However, it is not only about having internet access, but a fast and strong connection that government officials seek to bridge internet disparities in low-income communities.

The California Public Utilities Commission awarded Imperial County $14 million to expand internet service for under-represented communities July 11.

In email correspondence with the Desert Review, the California Public Utilities Commission said that “The grant awarded to Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) in Imperial County is for GSCA to build, construct and operate an open access, last mile, municipal, fiber network.”

According to the Commission, the purpose of the money is to enhance internet infrastructure in communities within the County that are recipients of weak internet service. 

“The federal funding supports investment in locations with an identified need for additional broadband infrastructure investment,” according to the website.

Importantly, the identified need is directly connected to internet speed. 

“The Federal Funding Account proceeding, incorporating robust public comment, defined eligible areas as those without reliable wireless service at speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload,” the commission said.

Specifically, the investment is designed to help the communities of Calipatria, Niland, Ocotillo, Seeley, and surrounding areas. According to the Commission, the upgrade will grant access to fast internet to thousands of County residents within the designated locations. 

 “[The operation will help] 1,900 unserved locations representing an estimated unserved population of 5,622. In the area, an estimated population of 22,531 will benefit from these investments,” the commission said.

Communities benefiting from the grant money will see an improvement in residential and business internet speed. 

The Commission explained, “The Golden State Connect Authority award is for a fiber optic infrastructure network providing residential access speeds up to 10 gbps (gigabits per second) symmetrical and businesses symmetrical speeds up to 100 gbps. This is robust, long-lasting infrastructure that can support increase usage and growth over time. “

According to the Commission, the GSCA submitted the application for the Federal Funding Account Program meeting all the requirements on behalf of Imperial County.

“Like all applications, the GSCA application was reviewed against a holistic review of the application and the preferences- the scoring rubric- approved in the Commission decision establishing the program, went through an objection process, and was evaluated on overall merit and viability,” the Commission said. “The last mile Federal Funding Account program implements approximately $2 billion in state and federal ($540 million in US Treasury Capital Projects Fund) monies over multiple years.”

Overall, the total amount awarded and recommended for award is $343.8 million for 36 projects from 16 applicants in 17 counties benefiting approximately 613,000 Californians. These include four awards or recommended awards to GSCA (in Alpine, Imperial, and Mono Counties) and 11 to Plumas Sierra Telecommunications, an affiliate of the Plumas Sierra Electric Cooperative (in Lassen, Nevada, Plumas, and Sierra Counties).