News & Updates
Oakland City Council Unanimously Approves Construction of Open-Access Network
May 28, 2025 – The Oakland City Council voted unanimously last week to adopt a Broadband Master Plan that will connect up to 2,500 unserved and underserved households across the city through the construction of an open-access municipal broadband network.
CPUC Training Webinar
This webinar, in partnership with #OaklandUndivided, focused on general CPUC engagement strategies. #OaklandUndivided mobilizes community members to engage with state agencies including CPUC on digital equity issues. Cinthia Diaz, Director of Community Impact, and Carolina Mendez, Program Manager, shared experiences, strategies, and best practices for successful participation and engagement.
National Digital Equity Competitive Grant Awards $12M to Support Digital Inclusion Projects in Bay Area
Oakland, CA – On Friday, January 17, 2025, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recommended awarding the $12M Bay Area Digital Equity Coalition Competitive Grant. The project establishes the Bay Area Digital Equity Coalition (BADEC), a collaboration of 28 agencies serving Oakland, San Francisco, and Contra Costa. This includes community anchor institutions, and nonprofits, seeking to maximize the impact of their decades of work in digital equity and provide a platform for regional coordination and investment in outcomes for Covered Populations.
Equity Is a Key Focus for Oakland, Calif., Broadband Work
The Bay Area city is making high-speed Internet more accessible with projects focused on affordability and service delivery and aimed at closing the digital divide. A California Public Utilities Commission grant is among the funding sources.
The City of Oakland Announces $38.5M Investment in Broadband Infrastructure and Devices to Enhance Digital Access in East and West Oakland
With funding from the State, City, and private donors, a series of four projects in partnership with the City of Oakland, Oakland Housing Authority, and Oakland Unified School District will enhance connectivity for generations to come.
NBC Bay Area News — Oakland Broadband Infrastructure Investment
Later this afternoon Oakland leaders will highlight a recent investment to bridge the digital divide in underserved neighborhoods. The city is receiving a combined 38 million split between recent state and federal grants. The money will go to boost broadband infrastructure in East Oakland and West Oakland and in the Fruitvale District. It will boost internet access for various entities including thousands of disconnected households.
OUSD Superintendent Dr. Johnson-Trammell shares importance of home internet for students.
On Thursday, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell was part of a news conference with the city of Oakland, state and local leaders including Assembly Member Mia Bonta, Mayor Sheng Thao, and partner organizations such as Tech Exchange, the Oakland Public Education Fund, and Oakland Undivided.
Oakland Secures $15 Million Grant To Bring Broadband Into Underserved Neighborhoods
After two years enmeshed in the unglamorous work of coalition-building, speed test data collection, and pushing state leaders to invest in better telecommunication infrastructure across Oakland’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, digital equity advocates in the East Bay city are finally seeing the fruits of their labor pay off.
Oakland awarded $15 million to fix disparities in internet speeds
Internet speeds in Oakland’ highest income zip code--with the largest population of White residents--were nearly ten times faster than those in the city’s poorest, with the largest population of Black and Brown residents.
Over Comcast and AT&T objections, Oakland gets millions to improve internet speed
Oakland will receive $15 million from California to close gaps in local internet speeds — a grant that faced objections from industry giants Comcast and AT&T, which had argued the town connects to the web no slower than any other place.
PRESS RELEASE: CPUC Awards Oakland $15M Broadband Infrastructure Grant to Expand High-Speed Internet Access in East and West Oakland
San Francisco, CA — The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously to fund Oakland Connect—the City of Oakland’s $15 million grant proposal to expand access to reliable, high-speed internet in East and West Oakland. The project was one of the first five projects funded from nearly 500 applications submitted for the State’s once-in-a-generation $2 billion Federal Funding Account Last Mile grant opportunity intended to expand internet access across the State.
How a ‘Once in a Century’ Broadband Investment Plan Could Go Wrong
Starting next week, California residents have 30 days to challenge maps that will determine how $1.8 billion is distributed to increase internet access
PRESS RELEASE: The Federal Communications Commission Proposes Ongoing Funding to Keep Millions of Students Connected
The Federal Communications Commission Proposes Ongoing Funding to Keep Millions of Students Connected
How one word could make or break a California lawmaker’s bid for broadband equity
Visit cadigitalequity.org and support AB 2239 to challenge the discriminatory practices that relegate our Black and brown neighbors/communities to second class digital citizenship.
Oakland’s canceled SAT debacle points to broader testing and equity concerns statewide
Wi-Fi troubles led to the cancellation of a planned SAT exam for roughly 1,400 students in Oakland, a debacle that stretched on for hours Saturday and shed light on broader inequities in the city.
Gavin Newsom plans to cut $2 billion in public broadband projects
The proposed cuts could jeopardize plans to build the largest public broadband network in the United States.
Can a California bill end digital discrimination?
Paula Sandoval finds herself without access to the internet at home despite living in the digital age. Sandoval, a 65-year-old immigrant, lives in a rented room in Oakland. When she tried to set up internet access herself, she was met with a $50 quote from her mobile carrier, T-Mobile—a cost she says is unaffordable for her. Her situation mirrors that of many Californians, a state where one in five people lack broadband internet service.
Tech X Radio
Welcome to the Tech Exchange's new Tech X Radio podcast, where we spotlight community resources and advocates for social change and fighting for digital equity…
New bill would make FCC rules state law in effort to end digital discrimination
A new bill would make California the first state to put in place digital discrimination standards when it comes to internet connectivity.
As KCBS Radio's Mike DeWald reports, the effort looks to level the playing field.
Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
On April 10, the California Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee voted to approve Assembly Bill (AB) 2239 after a hearing at the State Capitol.