City of Oakland Broadband Master Plan 2025

Over 33,000 households in Oakland are estimated not to have residential broadband internet service. Deep, active community engagement starting during the pandemic shed light on the root causes of this digital divide: Internet affordability, access, and performance are the main barriers. Meanwhile, a duopolistic marketplace has resulted in a lack of investment in broadband infrastructure, leaving many Oaklanders paying more for less while the problems persist. This is digital exclusion in Oakland, and it overwhelmingly affects low-income families and Black and brown communities. The City of Oakland’s Broadband Master Plan (BMP) serves as a blueprint for addressing digital exclusion and its impacts on Oaklanders. It presents a solution: a municipal broadband network designed to achieve more equitable access to affordable, high-speed internet. By leveraging existing public infrastructure, prioritizing un/underserved communities, and fostering partnerships with Oakland Housing Authority, other affordable housing providers, as well as community-oriented Internet service providers that can advance digital inclusion, the BMP demonstrates the potential for a Municipal Broadband Networks (MBN) in Oakland to improve outcomes in the community by managing as a utility for economic, educational, and social progress. The OaklandConnect MBN will not, on its own, solve the digital divide. As they say, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Much more work—perhaps even tougher—lies ahead. Nonetheless, the BMP provides a roadmap to a more connected, inclusive, and resilient future.