The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved more than $74 million for extending broadband access throughout rural parts of California. The funding will help bring reliable internet service to Santa Barbara, Marin, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma counties.
The funding comes through the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), a state program that helps pay for broadband infrastructure in areas where internet service is generally limited and are deemed “unserved.”
One of the largest awards went to Surfnet Communications, which received up to $33.2 million to build two fiber-optic broadband projects across the Central Coast. Of that funding, $24 million will support 927 unserved locations through the Central Coast Fiber Broadband Project, while the remaining $9.19 million will be invested in Santa Barbara County through the Santa Barbara Fiber Project.
Within a 13-square-mile area in the Santa Ynez and Los Olivos region of Santa Barbara County, 366 unserved locations will receive a fiber-to-the-home network service with speeds up to 1 gigabyte-per-second. Rather than paying for internet service itself, the grant covers the cost of building infrastructure needed to bring better connections to those locations.
About 44.7 miles of fiber-optic cable, with most of it attached to existing utility poles and a small portion placed underground, will be installed. Construction is expected to be completed within 18 months after permits are approved.
State officials say the Surfnet project will connect nearly 1,293 previously unserved homes and businesses, giving Californians access to online education, telehealth, remote work, emergency communications, and more.
“High-speed internet is essential infrastructure for every Californian,” said CPUC President John Reynolds in a July 16 announcement. “These investments will expand reliable broadband service to rural communities that have historically been left behind, while advancing California’s Broadband for All goals.”
