Board of Supervisors approves internet program for low-income households, continues broadband infrastructure development

The Board of Supervisors today approved plans to provide free internet for one year to over 500 low-income Sonoma County households using American Rescue Plan Act funding. The Board also approved the use of approximately $2.3 million of ARPA funding for additional broadband infrastructure development in the Walsh Landing and/or Jenner areas. The Sonoma County Economic Development Collaborative has applied for a $17 million grant from the California Public Utilities Commission that would help further expand broadband infrastructure to underserved areas of unincorporated Sonoma County. 

“As we learned during the pandemic, fast, reliable and affordable access to the internet is crucial for households and families,” said Ethan Brown, executive director of Sonoma County Economic Development Collaborative. “The ability to work remotely, access telehealth, complete homework assignments, pay bills, and other tasks many of us take for granted is an absolute necessity for thriving in today’s world.” 

In 2021, the Board established the Access Sonoma Broadband Action Plan, followed by a Digital Needs Assessment in 2024 that showed affordability continues to be a persistent barrier to internet access in Sonoma County. The Sonoma County Economic Development Collaborative contracted with Los Cien Sonoma County to conduct the assessment, including 579 responses collected over one month through in-person outreach. Of those 579 respondents, 63 percent make below 50 percent of the county’s area median income of $48,450. Eighty percent of respondents reported having some form of access to internet, however, many of those respondents also reported paying high costs, having low speeds, and limited access to computer devices. 

The County’s new internet subsidy program using ARPA funding will provide free home internet subscriptions for a period of one year to 556 household including residents of approximately ten affordable housing sites throughout Sonoma County. Subscriptions will be purchased through Comcast and offer at least 100 MBPS download speeds and 20 MBPS upload speeds, meeting the state and federal standards.   

The Board today also tentatively reprogrammed previously allocated ARPA funds to expand infrastructure in the Walsh Landing and/or Jenner areas, depending on whether funding is received through Sonoma County’s Last Mile Federal Funding Account grant application to the California Public Utilities Commission. In the event that grant funding is not awarded, the reprogramming of ARPA funds will further support broadband deployment to priority areas.  

Board materials for today’s Sonoma County broadband update 

For more information about today’s Board action and broadband update, including the Access Sonoma Broadband Action Plan, please contact the Sonoma County Economic Development Collaborative at edc@sonoma-county.org or by calling (707) 565-7170.  

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Media Contact: 
Dan Virkstis, communications specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org 
(707) 565-3040