California vowed to spend billions to bring fast internet to poor communities. Why is the state prioritizing projects through Beverly Hills and other affluent areas while projects in South L.A., East Oakland are stalled?
but proceeded anyway. It’s irresponsible to base billion-dollar, once-in-a-generation funding decisions on bad data.
State officials said they chose to save money on L.A. County projects by leasing part of an existing private line that runs through Beverly Hills and other affluent areas in order to bolster service further down the line. But the line is still far from communities of highest need. This decision is an affront to the Crenshaw district, South Gate, Lynwood, Paramount and other communities that have spent nearly two years planning last-mile investments based on the Newsom’s administration’s announced plans and will now have to scramble for additional funding or scrap their plans.
“How can you make an argument that that is a good use of money intended to close the digital divide?” asked Shayna Englin, director of the Digital Equity Initiative at the California Community Foundation. “We have this opportunity to solve this problem for generations and we’re not going to do it.” Newsom and lawmakers cannot let this funding go to waste, or they’ll be remembered as the leaders who failed to bridge the digital divide.
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