Information provided by the Rotary Club of San Juan Bautista. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
A coalition of non-profits and internet service provider Garlic.com (South Valley Internet) is the recipient of a $29.4 million California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grant to build a state-of-the-art broadband network in western San Benito County.
The California Public Utilities Commission made the award at its June 20 meeting to LCB Communications, a sister company of Garlic.com. Coalition partners include the Rotary Club of San Juan Bautista and Balanced Access, a non-profit based in Morgan Hill.
“This CASF grant will close the Digital Divide for disadvantaged families who have been denied educational resources, job opportunities, essential services, and enhanced quality of life due to lack of broadband infrastructure. The CPUC award will allow Garlic.com and its community partners to bring economic growth, educational equity and full social inclusion to an underserved community within San Benito County.”
South Valley Internet/LCB will build the broadband network and has pledged to have significantly reduced service rates for low-income families.
The Rotary Club has set a goal to provide free internet to all students in the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District who qualify for a free/reduced cost meal program. Balanced Access will assist with the fundraising.
“It is our pleasure to be part of such a worthy project,” said Brentnall. “Helping our community is just good business.”
Garlic.com was awarded an earlier CASF grant to bring broadband to the county facility on Southside Road in Hollister that is the site of a farm labor camp, migrant housing, and transitional housing. That project is currently under construction.
The SJB Rotary Club has been working to enhance internet access to low-income students since instruction became primarily web-based during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic forced the country to confront the crisis of a lack of internet access,” said Phil Esparza, current president of the SJB Rotary, and first chair of its Access Committee. “We knew we had to take action or risk losing a generation of students.”
Garlic.com and Rotary have already embarked on building a hybrid network of fiber and enhanced wifi within the SJB city limits.
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