Accelerating Digital Equity

In Los Angeles County, it is estimated that approximately 416,000 households lack broadband internet service. The disproportionate impacts are mostly located in lower income communities and among populations that are predominantly Black and Latinx. Several government initiatives are underway to address this crisis, yet digital inequities persist in both rural and urban areas. The County of Los Angeles (County) Board of Supervisors (Board) directed the County Internal Services Department to assess viable options for the County of Los Angeles to facilitate residential access to reliable broadband service in low-income communities where greater than 20% of the households lack internet service, based on data from the United States Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The purpose of this website is to provide relevant information to the public on this topic, process, and programs.

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 a progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
  • On November 10, 2022, ISD submitted a progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
  • On February 10, 2023, ISD submitted a progress report on the status of the various workstreams.
Maps & Data:
Affordable Connectivity Program:
  • On December 31, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program was replaced by the $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Under this new program, the monthly broadband benefit is $30. The monthly benefit is $75 for households on qualifying Tribal lands. The income eligibility was raised from 135% to 200% of the Federal Poverty Line.
  • More than 534,000 households are currently enrolled in the ACP (formerly EBB program), but this count is well below the estimated 1.6 million households that are eligible.
  • The County has launched an outreach campaign to ensure that eligible residents apply for the ACP.
  • If you’re interested in spreading the word about ACP, please check out our Social Media/Press Toolkit.
  • ACP Reports: Enrollment Tracker and Interactive Maps
  • To learn more and apply, click here.
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.”
  • Community Broadband Network – Information and FAQ’s
  • 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)

January 24, 2023 Update

The County seeks one or more of the qualified Community Broadband Network Master Agreement Proposers to deploy and to operate a retail broadband internet service (Service) that is affordable, highly-reliable, and high-quality within the two Service Areas:

  • The East Los Angeles Service Area is part of Supervisorial District 1 and is composed of the following LA neighborhoods: Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, El Sereno, and the East Los Angeles neighborhood. This Service Area has communities both incorporated in the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated communities, which are served by the County.
  • The South Los Angeles Service Area is part of Supervisorial District 2 and composed of the following LA neighborhoods: Adams-Normandie, University Park, Historic South-Central, Exposition Park, Vermont Square, South Park, Central-Alameda, Chesterfield Square, Harvard Park, Vermont-Slauson, Florence, Florence-Firestone, Manchester Square, Vermont Knolls, Gramercy Park, Westmont, Vermont Vista, Broadway-Manchester, Green Meadows, Watts, Athens, Willowbrook, and West Compton. This Service Area has communities both incorporated in the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated communities, which are served by the County.

The full Work Order Solicitation package can be found here. Only companies that are qualified under the Community Broadband Network Master Agreement will be eligible to propose. The County will continue to accept Statements of Qualifications through the first Work Order Solicitation period as well as through September 13, 2027 for future Work Orders.

All communication should be directed to the CommunityBroadband@isd.lacounty.gov email address. For more information on Community Broadband Networks, please see here.