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 […]
Author: Nadine Hugg
It is Women’s History Month and CETF is honored to celebrate women Legislators who are leading California into a 21st Century Digital world. It is essential to highlight the remarkable contributions of women in shaping policies and legislation that aim to close the Digital Divide […]
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. […]
Dear Digital Equity Champion: The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) is pleased to announce that AB1588 (Wilson) – the Affordable Internet and Net Equality Act – passed out of the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance this week. Now, the bill moves to the Assembly […]
“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 […]
California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) applauds the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) investments to “increase broadband access and digital inclusion in low-income, disadvantaged communities, and other communities facing socioeconomic barriers to broadband adoption,” as stated in its announcement last week. These investments reinforce the CPUC […]
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 […]
A statewide survey shows the digital divide narrowing in California, but many low-income residents remain under-connected. 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, […]