DATE:
September 14, 2021
04
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
RATIFY THE APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS FROM THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION'S EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND TO PROVIDE LAPTOPS AND MOBILE INTERNET HOTSPOTS TO HOUSEHOLDS IN NEED IN THE COUNTY LIBRARY'S SERVICE AREA (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The San Diego County Library (County Library) plays a critical role in providing free access to the internet services and resources in the communities we serve. Part of County Library's effort to provide resources is through a partnership with the San Diego Supercomputer Center on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. This connection is the local node of the California Research and Education Network, a very high-speed, high-quality internet node that connects all our library branches. In addition to providing free Wi-Fi, with approximately 500,000 Wi-Fi connections annually, computers and laptops are also available at all our library branches.
County Library has considered expanding its internet service program for customers to be able to access the internet in their own homes or dwelling places without having to be at a library branch, use modems, or internet utility services. Using data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) from the United States Department of Commerce, which maps the extent of the digital divide to the census tract level, County Library has estimated that there are 7,400 households in our service area that do not have internet access nor a smartphone or computer to access the internet. The estimated cost for such a program to be implemented to meet this need is up to $5 million.
The San Diego County Library has identified an opportunity to respond to this digital divide through an emergency funding source called the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) initiated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and administered by the Universal Service Administrative Com...
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