Construction has begun on a broadband initiative that aims to bring high-speed internet access to 24 city halls—and ultimately, residents—in Southeast Los Angeles, a region long considered pivotal within the area. digital divide .
This week, officials initiated the groundbreaking for the project in Compton, signaling the start of five stages of construction that will ultimately cover 125 miles across numerous municipalities such as Huntington Park, Bellflower, and Downey.
A network costing $104 million will be funded through grants provided by the California Department of Technology’s mid-range connectivity program and the California Public Utilities Commission’s federal financing pool for end-user connections.
Hector de la Torre, who leads the Gateway Cities Council of Governments as its executive director, noted that such a high level of investment is uncommon for southeastern Los Angeles. Gateway Cities Council of Governments is a collection of nearby governmental bodies in Southern and Southeastern L.A. County that collaborate on certain services.
On average, typically, we receive about one gigabyte per second from established service providers. However, this new system will offer up to ten gigabytes per second," explained De la Torre. "Such quality is exceptional, but within our neighborhoods, we aren’t accustomed to having access to the finest; instead, we often settle for whatever remains.
He pointed out that the pandemic revealed an urgent requirement for improved internet connectivity in these areas.
What we observed during the pandemic was children heading to McDonald's, where they would sit in the parking lot or outdoors to do their homework due to lack of reliable internet access at home—issues stemming from both availability and affordability," stated De la Torre. "This initiative certainly moves us forward in addressing these community needs.
How it works
The fiber optic cables will link up via 24 city halls across southeastern Los Angeles. Upon completion, each municipal authority will oversee the process of bringing this high-speed internet access to their respective communities.
The lines will be directly linked to the state’s Middle Mile Broadband Network , a $5 billion initiative To deploy fiber optic cables across the state and enhance accessibility to high-quality internet services. This initiative targets regions lacking internet connectivity or experiencing sluggish connections.
"The following step involves conducting a competitive bidding process to select an Internet Service Provider capable of activating the fiber-optic cables and providing internet access. This will take place later this year," stated De la Torre.
The expense for the customer will be minimal, he mentioned.
And this is not just theoretical. The South Bay Council of Governments… has already implemented this," De la Torres stated. "They discovered that it resulted in faster speeds for significantly lower costs.
The second phase of construction is anticipated to start next month. In the near future, all five stages will proceed concurrently with the aim of finishing the project by December 2026.