In this digital age, access to the internet is fundamental to participating in society. Delivering fast, reliable, and affordable broadband for every Angeleno is a necessity — and should be treated as a utility that is indispensable to function and thrive in society.

The inequities that impact access to affordable housing and home ownership also impact those same communities’ access to broadband internet.

The long history of redlining in Los Angeles continues with our broadband infrastructure: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) regularly and systematically charge poor, minority neighborhoods higher prices for the same service.

These inequities impact Angelenos’ ability to perform functions essential to their survival such as applying for jobs, accessing safety net services and completing their education.

We advocate for the creation of a public fiber network for Los Angeles County that will ensure all neighborhoods can access fast, reliable, and affordable internet.

ISP’s have level of control has meant that consumers and communities have had no ability to set the terms for quality, speed, price, and location of services.

To ensure that every Angeleno has the opportunity to live to their fullest potential, they should have equitable access to affordable and high-quality internet services. The pandemic revealed the inequities to digital access and established a hybrid reality that is permanent. We have the opportunity to address these challenges permanently and build out a public fiber infrastructure that will ensure every region of LA can access fast, reliable and affordable broadband.

Communities who have been left out of high-quality internet access should also be at the center of shaping how new infrastructure and services are developed in their neighborhoods.

In our policy blueprint, we outline actionable recommendations so that everyone in LA County has access to broadband service by 2027 and to high-quality, fiber-based internet services at affordable prices by 2040:

1. Universal Adoption: Ensure that all LA County residents are connected to broadband service of at least 100/20 Mbps for no more than $30 per month by 2027. This would mean no cost to low-income residents, after government subsidies. It will require government agencies, community-based organizations, and ISPs to work together to ensure no household is left behind.
2. A Fiber Future: Eliminate disparities in broadband accessibility, ensuring that every resident, regardless of location, income, or identity, has the means to access, afford, and adopt fiber-based broadband service with multi-gigabit-symmetric speeds by 2040.
3. Sustained Advocacy: Elevate and grow a vibrant ecosystem of community advocates from across the County focused on aligned, active, and sustainable broadband equity advocacy to end the digital divide.

LA County can and should become a national leader in broadband equity. The County, cities, civic institutions, and communities all need to do their part and work together to make the most of the moment.

• Now is the moment for bold, progressive action – energy and support are already there for many initiatives, but a unified push is necessary to guarantee everyone benefits from universal broadband efforts.
• Elevate and grow a vibrant ecosystem of community advocates from across the County focused on aligned, active, and sustainable broadband equity advocacy to end the digital divide by getting more involved.
• Establish a new, mission-driven agency – an Internet Infrastructure Agency – to help orchestrate the deployment of new funding sources and manage other critical aspects of the broadband ecosystem, working in close collaboration with ISPs and community-based digital inclusion organizations.