S.D. UNVEILS PLANS TO IMPROVE INTERNET ACCESSIBILITY

SAN DIEGO

San Diego unveiled plans Wednesday to boost broadband Internet access in the city’s lower-income neighborhoods with several initiatives including outdoor Wi-Fi hot spots at libraries and parks.

Other initiatives call for refurbishing 2,200 computers and giving them to needy families and individuals, seeking federal help for a “digital inclusion action plan,” and new financial partnerships with local schools and private Internet companies.

The proposals come after the City Council allocated $500,000 in June to improve broadband access in poor areas based on concerns the

COVID-19 pandemic had sharply increased the impact of San Diego’s technology divide.

More than 53,000 households in the city lack reliable high-speed Internet, according to the most recent data available from 2018. Most of them are south of state Route 94 in City Council Districts 4, 8 and 9.

With more people working from home and many children attending school remotely, people living in those households face significant hurdles, city officials said.

Lack of broadband Internet can create challenges in applying for jobs, using online government services, communicating with friends and family, and accessing health providers.

“Technology is not a luxury — it’s a lifeline,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Wednesday. “Over the last several months, it’s become more apparent than ever to San Diegans just how essential a computer and Internet can be when you’re looking for a job, going to school or need to stay updated on public health directives.”

The proposal, called San Diego Access4All, was created by Faulconer’s information technology and economic development staff. It was presented Wednesday to the council’s economic development committee.

Some initiatives are already under way in pilot form, but most of the program is still being developed with the long term in mind, said Jonathan Behnke, the city’s information technology director.

Outdoor Wi-Fi patios have been established at four of the city’s 36 library branches: the downtown central library, Skyline Hills, San Ysidro and Malcolm X-Valencia Park.

The patios include tables, chairs, shade canopies and laptop computers that can be checked out for two hours. The city paid for the furniture and the library foundation paid for the rental laptops.

Behnke said similar patios are planned for seven additional branches: City Heights, College-Rolando, Linda Vista, Logan Heights, Mira Mesa, Otay Mesa-Nestor and Mountain View/Beckwourth.

City officials plan to do the same thing at 10 city recreation centers and city parks, but Behnke didn’t identify specific locations. He said roughly 25 total park sites would become outdoor Wi-Fi hot spots in the future.

They also are also exploring partnerships with private Internet providers to find ways to provide access in key areas. Officials might also partner with the San Diego Unified School District for Internet coverage in areas that lack any city facilities, Behnke said.

Another initiative is a partnership forged in July with the nonprofit San Diego Futures Foundation to refurbish 2,200 older computers, which will be given to some of the estimated 30,000 local households.

The foundation refurbished 53,000 computers and gave them to needy households before the new partnership with the city, Behnke said.

City officials also plan to expand a program that allows people to borrow a broadband hot spot from a library branch and bring it home for three months.

Behnke said the library and park outdoor hot spots will cost about $220,000 of the $500,000 budgeted by the council. He predicted the remaining money would be adequate to cover the other initiatives, which are still being developed.