North Bay could get boost out of $71B for broadband in federal, California legislation
The long-awaited task of connecting the whole country with broadband internet may be no longer up in the air since it’s about to receive a $71 billion windfall, raising hopes among North Bay stakeholders that even users on the fringes will get service.
At $65 billion, the largest chunk of these funds is coming from the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the U.S. Senate. It’s in the hands of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I’m glad to see the broadband portion of the bill made the cut,” U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, told the Business Journal. The bill has been scaled down to a third of its initial $3.6 trillion size.
That comes as California earmarked $6 billion toward investing in upgrading broadband capacity in its 58 counties.
The state wants to form a regional network with that money. The trickle-down responsibility will fall on local governments to expand capacity to areas on the fringe now. Think of it as the state plans to set up the trunk of the tree (referred to as the “middle mile”) along state highways. Then, the small governing bodies will link to it with branches in the “last mile” part of the project to the far-flung rural enclaves. Many are sprinkled across the North Bay, from Lake Berryessa west to Angwin and onto Marin’s Canal District.
Strength in numbers
Out of California’s 58 counties, the 37 deemed as rural are due to receive about $5 million in baseline funding, which accounts for $185 million of a $1 billion bucket. The remaining $815 million will be earmarked for underserved households receiving broadband internet service operating under 100 megabits-per-second downloading speeds. Part of another $1 billion dedicated to urban counties may go toward the rural county effort.
Based on 2019 data, more than 274,000 households in the 37 counties fit the rural category. Of that number, 8,677 are located in Sonoma County. Including the baseline funding, the county stands to gain a total of $30.7 million to get adequate internet to tucked-away communities like Timber Cove.
“The need for more internet to telecommute is rising,” said Calvin Sandeen, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board broadband analyst.
Even with all the funding thrown at the effort, the big debate may amount to money. Public officials working with the private sector are trying to determine the primary course of action — whether to set up fixed wireless above ground or “to deploy fiber optic” lines below.
“(The latter is) is where it makes sense,” Sandeen said.
However, burying the lines comes with a hefty price tag — $45 per foot. To get a glimpse of that cost, roads in Sonoma County alone stretch 1,383 miles.
Hooking up the North Bay
Marin County Chief Information Officer Liza Massey expressed much enthusiasm over the more than $12 million windfall in funding the Digital Marin program she runs is expected to get.
“It’s great. Some funding will just come to us. Some will be funds we compete for,” she said.
Massey conducted a survey of county residents last May and found only 11% of the 671 people who responded said they were satisfied with how fast and reliable their internet service is. When asked if they would pay for it if it were more reliable or faster, a quarter of those surveyed declared “no.” But another 30% of respondents said they would like better service “but can’t afford it.”
“If we build out the system, we can bring it to all,” she said.
Still, Massey estimates to accomplish this lofty goal will cost at least $40 million for all Marin County’s citizens to obtain high-speed internet.
Northern California dreaming
Mendocino County citizens can also relate to and lament over the lack of high-speed internet service. The county’s broadband specialist, Jeff Tyrrell, claimed the rural region ranks 50th out of 58 counties in connectivity, with nearly a quarter of households lacking access.
“We are grateful that broadband funding is now receiving the attention it deserves, and we’re optimistic that we will soon make significant progress in closing the digital divide,” Tyrrell said.
The widespread goal requires time. The California Cable & Telecommunications Association, an industry advocacy group, estimates that broadband infrastructure will take several years to build out.
It also mandates all levels of government participate, including the feds, which has shown a lack of consensus in today’s political climate.
If the U.S. House of Representatives passes it, California is due to receive $100 million to assist in providing broadband coverage across the state. The emphasis of the legislation component lies with the 545,000 statewide residents who now lack it, a congressional summary dictated. More than 10.6 million Californians, or 27% of the population, will also be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, a portion of the bill that grants low-income households subsidies.
Despite the uphill road before them, U.S. Reps. Huffman and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, believe the broadband component in the more than 2,600-page infrastructure bill has a real chance of surviving the scrutiny of the House.
“I think we’ll be successful in expanding broadband,” Thompson told the Business Journal.
Besides the ability to improve connectivity for employees working remotely and students learning at home, Thompson insisted the “telemedicine” aspect of health care needs to be expanded upon.
Like Huffman, Thompson insisted that, although the Wine Country is considered wealthy in comparison to other poorer regions, their districts still harbor low-income residents left out of the exceedingly computerized world.
“There are parts of my district that are lacking the service,” he said.
