Board Actions & Reports:

• On August 31, 2021, the Board unanimously adopted a motion to assess options for the County of Los Angeles to facilitate residential access to reliable broadband service in low-income communities that lack affordable, high-speed internet service.
• On September 30, 2021, ISD submitted a report outlining options for the Board to consider, including the option to deploy Community Broadband Networks.
• On November 16, 2021, the Board unanimously approved a motion to advance the Community Broadband Networks by instructing ISD to coordinate implementation.
• On February 7, 2022, ISD submitted its first quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On May 13, 2022, ISD submitted its second quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On July 7, 2022, ISD submitted a progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On August 11, 2022, ISD submitted its third quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On November 10, 2022, ISD submitted its fourth quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On February 10, 2023, ISD submitted its fifth quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On May 11, 2023, ISD submitted its sixth quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On August 9, 2023, ISD submitted its seventh quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On November 8, 2023, ISD submitted its eighth quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On February 8, 2024, ISD submitted its ninth quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
• On May 13, 2024, ISD submitted its tenth quarterly progress report on the status of the various workstreams.

Maps & Data:

• https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ cb6759c16c9c4093b5254f065828fb39

Affordable Connectivity Program:

• The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal benefit program that provides, among other things, a $30 per month discount toward internet service for qualifying households. Launched at the end of 2021, the ACP is a $14.2 billion broadband affordability program authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
• On January 11, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued notice that funding for ACP was projected to run out in April 2024, unless Congress appropriates additional funding. As Congress has not provided additional funding at the time of this website update, ACP households may receive a partial ACP discount from their internet company in May 2024. Consequently, the FCC began taking steps to wind-down the ACP program, including:
  • No new ACP enrollments will be accepted after February 7, 2024.
  • Households enrolled in ACP prior to February 7, 2024, will continue to receive program benefits until the funding ends.
  • After funds expire, households will no longer receive ACP subsidies.
  • Internet service providers are required to send three written notices to their ACP households beginning in January 2024.
  • If Congress approves more funding for the ACP, the FCC will provide further guidance and instructions on how the ACP will proceed.
• The FCC requires that internet service providers notify subscribers that the program is ending, impact on their bill, date when the last bill will include the ACP benefit, and the opportunity to change their service or opt-out of continuing service. Additionally, the Universal Service Administrative Company as the FCC’s program administrator will provide notification to enrolled households.
• As of February 2024, more than 983,000 of the estimated 1.6 million eligible households had enrolled in ACP. Los Angeles County has the most enrollments of any county in the nation and has more enrollments than 45 states.
• For more information on ACP and the FCC’s Wind-Down Order, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/acp

Community Broadband Network:

• The Community Broadband Network is one of the strategies that the Board has directed the County to pursue to accelerate digital equity.
• The County’s Community Broadband Networks will rely potentially on landlines and/or radio links, leveraging equipment mounted to public buildings, streetlights, and other community real estate assets to deliver high-speed connections to households or other end users who are equipped to receive the signal.
• On January 7, 2022, as part of the planning process, the County of Los Angeles released a Request for Comments (RFC) seeking input from market participants to inform the solicitation requirements, network structure, technical specifications, evaluation metrics, and any other topics that will be instructive to facilitating a competitive solicitation. The responses to the RFC can be found here.
• On March 21, 2022, the County released a Request for Statement of Qualifications for the Installation and Operation of Community Wireless Networks to Deliver Residential Broadband Services. The Internal Services Department will be continuously accepting Statements of Qualifications through September 13, 2027. Qualified vendors may Download a copy of the Community Broadband Network RFSQ and apply at any time through September 13, 2027.
• On July 13, 2022, the County released an addendum to the RFSQ to clarify and rename it to: “Request for Statement of Qualifications for the Installation and Operation of Community Broadband Networks to Deliver Residential Broadband Services.”
• Download a copy of the Community Broadband Network RFSQ
• In order to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the solicitation process, any questions related to the RFSQ should be directed to CommunityBroadband@isd.lacounty.gov.

Community Broadband Network Services Master Agreement (CBNSMA)

May 14, 2024, Update

To date, ISD has released three Work Order Solicitations (WOS) under the CBNSMA, covering demonstration projects in East Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and Southeast Los Angeles. Under these solicitations, the County is seeking qualified Community Broadband Network Services Master Agreement Vendors to deploy and to operate retail broadband internet service that is affordable, highly reliable, and high quality within certain underserved communities experiencing the digital divide in Los Angeles County. All three WOS are now closed to proposals and are either pending award decisions or have been awarded.

On April 25, 2024, and pursuant to the CBNSMA and Work Order Solicitation #1, ISD executed two Work Orders with WeLink Communications, Inc., to deploy and operate retail broadband internet service in East Los Angeles & Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles. The project is expected to begin construction in Summer 2024 and with initial service rolling out beginning in the Fall 2024. The infrastructure build-out is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Major funding is provided by the American Rescue Plan Act. Also, funding for this project has been provided in part through a grant for Local Agency Technical Assistance from a program administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

For more information on the East Los Angeles & Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles CBN internet service: https://www.deletethedivide.org/affordable-internet/
Press inquiries: Angel Thompson, Public Information Specialist, athompson@isd.lacounty.gov
Solicitation and Contracts communications only: CommunityBroadband@isd.lacounty.gov