Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties have secured nearly $253 million in federal funding to bring high-speed internet to rural communities that have gone without it for years. State representatives and local leaders announced the award Friday at the Visalia Convention Center, following the annual San Joaquin Valley Regional Association of California Counties conference, a three-day event where elected supervisors and regional leaders gather to tackle shared Central Valley issues.
The exact figure approved for the five-county coalition is $252,688,048 in federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program funding, according to recorderonline.com. The counties entered into an agreement last year to jointly apply for the money after initially pursuing funding separately, and California Public Utilities Commissioner Darcie Houck reported that more than $250 million was designated for the region. County, state and federal officials gathered to highlight the award, which abc30.com reported is expected to benefit education, public safety, health care and economic development across the region.
Tulare County's Share Targets Nearly 6,000 Locations
Tulare County will receive $44 million of the approved funding, which will support high-speed internet access at 5,900 individual locations. Among the areas Tulare County has targeted for the funding is Springville, as reported by recorderonline.com, though a complete county-by-county breakdown of project areas has not been disclosed. Tulare County Supervisor Dennis Townsend said families had requested better internet connections for children attending school online.
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig organized the joint broadband funding application with county leaders across the region, and he noted that the challenge is a shared one. “Broadband challenges do not stop at county lines,” Magsig said, according to abc30.com. Magsig also said the federal funding could leverage future investments by private providers, potentially bringing an estimated additional $300 million for broadband expansion, and he said the investment will help Central Valley communities for decades.
A Pandemic-Era Problem Finally Gets Addressed
Rural Central Valley communities struggled with internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressman Jim Costa spoke about agriculture and online access.
The project is aimed at expanding broadband access in rural communities. Officials expect the expansion to benefit education, public safety, health care and economic development across the region.
Part of a Much Larger Federal Push
The award is part of the broader Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, a $42 billion federal effort for broadband development, adoption, mapping and digital equity authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program requires states to prioritize underserved homes and communities, and California was allocated roughly $1.86 billion through the initiative, according to the California Public Utilities Commission.
The state commission ratified California's Final Broadband Equity Access and Deployment funding proposal on September 17, as part of the state's BEAD subgrantee selection process. Officials said the Central Valley project is expected to take several years to complete, with construction timelines varying by county, as originally reported by Mid Valley Times.
