Newsom Makes Closing Digital Divide Part Of Relief Plan
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- Looking to make good use of a massive state budget windfall, Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to invest $7 billion into closing California's digital divide.
In a proposal he announced Friday, Newsom hopes to use the funds to expand broadband service across the state, ensuring all households have access to high speed internet -- an issue that became unavoidable during the COVID-19 lockdown last year, when all k-12 schools went online. School districts like Oakland's saw tens of thousands of its students struggle to access education when forced to stay home.
"Beyond excited that @CaGovernor is making a $7 billion investment to finally close the #DigitalDivide and bring affordable and accessible high-speed internet to all Californians," Newsom's wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom posted on Instagram. "This historic announcement will build upon the Governor's and my push to get in-kind and financial commitments from companies and philanthropists to provide internet access for hundreds of thousands of households, and personal devices for over 70,000 students last year!"
Newsom's proposal would direct federal funding to build a statewide fiber broadband network for internet service providers to use, saving these companies on construction costs. The goal is to provide high speed connections to at least 51% of rural households without them.
The state would also create a $500 million-loan program to help local municipalities with costs.