San Diego officials are launching a new initiative to shrink the city’s long-discussed digital divide — the gap in access to high-speed internet between the wealthy and the poor.
Residents are being asked to take an internet speed test and an access survey to help city officials understand how wide the gap is and which neighborhoods have the worst access to broadband service.
That information will be used to create strategies for boosting access where there are large gaps.
Those strategies are likely to include city subsidies and new partnerships between the city and broadband providers.
“It’s important that all San Diegans and San Diego communities have reliable and affordable access to the internet,” said Jonathan Behnke, the city’s chief information officer. “We look forward to learning how to better serve San Diego and eliminate the digital equity divide.”
City officials say they already have data showing that more than 40% of households in historically under-resourced areas such as San Ysidro don’t have broadband subscriptions.
The new initiative, called a broadband master plan, would make that data more robust, explore solutions and put the city in a better position to secure more state and federal broadband infrastructure investments, officials say.
The plan will eventually be presented to the City Council for approval.
In addition to the speed test and surveys, the initiative will include focus groups this winter to gather feedback from residents on internet access and the digital divide.
To boost participation in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, city officials are partnering with six community organizations on the initiative.
They are the county’s Black Chamber of Commerce, Casa Familiar, the Urban Collaborative Project, the Somali Family Service of San Diego, the San Diego Housing Commission, the Sherman Heights Community Center and the City Heights Community Development Corporation.
“Access to reliable broadband is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity for education, employment, healthcare and daily life,” said Mustafa Sahid, director of the Somali Family Service. “The broadband master plan is a transformative initiative that addresses a critical community need, bridging the digital divide for underserved populations.”
Previous city efforts to boost broadband access in low-income areas have included library branches loaning out laptops and digital hotspots.
The city received a $500,000 state grant to pay for the initiative, which will help the city meet state standards for broadband speeds.
The League of California Cities last week listed more state funding for broadband service among its priorities for the next state budget.
Visit sandiego.gov/it/broadband-master-plan for more information.
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