California Broadband Workshop Shows Work Still Needed to Close Digital Divide

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration hosted a broadband workshop at the Computer History Museum in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. And the take-away was this: the state that gave us semiconductor chips, Internet search engines and smartphones faces the same digital divide challenges as the rest of the nation.

The workshop brought together more than 100 local, state and federal leaders, industry representatives, community activists and other stakeholders to explore broadband challenges and opportunities across California. The workshop showcased innovative digital inclusion programs such as the Youth Policy Institute, which offers Internet access and training in Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)-funded public computer centers in low-income Los Angeles (CA) neighborhoods, and the Stride Center, a BTOP subgrantee that provides technical training for the chronically unemployed and operates a call center to help people get online. Despite the success stories, State Rep Jim Wood (D-Eureka) stressed that there is still more to be done.