Access to the Essential

At the height of the pandemic, when students hunkered down to start the 2020 – 2021 school year from home, we realized they weren’t going to be heading back to the classroom anytime soon. We also knew that at the time, over 20% of school children in Santa Cruz County didn’t have access to the internet. Lack of connection to reliable high-speed internet—essential for remote learning—was yet another of the disparities that emerged during COVID.

Partnerships for Connection

We jumped into partnership with our friends at Cruzio and local school districts to start Equal Access Santa Cruz County (EASC) and build out infrastructure for increased broadband connection and subsidized internet services for hard working families who couldn’t afford the high cost of monthly bills.

Our community jumped in quickly too. Generous donations, in addition to support from Driscoll’s, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, and Watsonville Rotary, helped build 35 broadband distribution hubs (Points of Presence or PoPs); connect 1,200+ students and families to new internet access, helped build infrastructure capable of serving 5,000+ more households, and improved broadband availability in over 60% of Watsonville/Pajaro area. EASC has also partnered with nonprofit organizations to assist community members in need, such as Buena Vista migrant housing, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services, Farm Discovery Center, Housing Authority of Santa Cruz, and Housing Matters’ Casa Azul. Cruzio’s EASC also just completed new PoPs at affordable housing developments Bienstar Plaza in Live Oak and Tabasa Gardens in Watsonville.

Local Giving Kickstarts Big Ideas

We’re proud that local philanthropy is often the first to get behind great people and important projects like EASC. Our early investment can help get big ideas off the ground and help attract sustaining new sources of funding to propel the work forward. For example, in 2022, the County of Santa Cruz awarded EASC $500,000 to expand broadband access in the County’s unincorporated areas using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Earlier this year, Cruzio announced a new initiative launched by their success with EASC. Equal Access Summits to the Sea (EAS2C) will bring high-speed connectivity to large areas of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Monterey Counties where internet service is inadequate. Many folks in these rural and remote regions have been left behind, dealing with outdated copper networks and limited internet options that are both scarce and pricey. EAS2C was unanimously funded by the California Public Utilities Commission with $5.65 million in state funds to build and upgrade broadband infrastructure in the region.

More Work Ahead

There is a lot of money becoming available at the state and federal level aimed at addressing digital equity. But those funds are all earmarked for building new infrastructure. While clearly important, it does nothing to address the issue of affordability. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was helping hundreds of families in our region afford internet. Now that the program has gone, funds remaining in the EASC fund will quickly be used up supporting the households Cruzio has already connected. Cruzio gives full paying customers the option to add monthly donations to their bill to sponsor EASC families but additional donations to the EASC fund will be invaluable in helping Cruzio keep subsidized prices as low as possible, helping families stay connected to invaluable online resources.

Thank you for trusting us and our community partners like Cruzio to help kickstart great ideas into being and support building a future that is more just, equitable, and inclusive of our diverse community.

Header photo: Cruzio techs Jay, Ben, and Ali celebrate the installation of a new PoP in Live Oak.