The East Bay Broadband Consortium, a group working to bridge the digital divide and develop the area’s economy, health, education and government systems, will put a $150,000 grant to use this year with a series of roundtable meetings about broadband needs, an organizer said today.
The California Public Utilities Commission approved California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Rural and Urban Broadband Consortia approved grants for the East Bay organization, along with seven other consortiums across the state, on Dec. 1, 2011, according to a CPUC press release. The grants total more than $1.5 million across the seven groups, which were selected from 15 applications to the CPUC.
"Basically we’re looking at broadband development, eHealth, eEducation, and all aspects of life in the East Bay that benefit from broadband," said Linda Best, executive director of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership, a member group of the consortium.
Best stressed the importance of using broadband to improve the area’s economic development and bridge the digital divide, providing broadband access for lower income residents. Access to education and job materials for those with no home Internet access will help toward developing the local economy, she said. The grant covers Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties.
The three-year grant, at $150,000 per year with annual review, will fund a series of roundtable discussions for stakeholders during the first year, Best said. The first meeting will discuss economic development, the second will cover digital inclusion, telehealth and social services, and the last will discuss education, eGovernment and how broadband will help in those areas, she said.
The East Bay Broadband Consortium is made up of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership, the East Bay Community Foundation, the East Bay Economic Development Alliance and the Solano County Economic Development Cooperation. The groups have worked for several years toward developing the area’s economy; the group moved to participate in the broadband issue when the opportunity presented itself and members recognized the potential benefits. The California Emerging Technology Fund, the East Bay Community Foundation and the Lescher Foundation assisted in the grant application, Best said.
