Broadband

these projects received funding from the California Public Utilities Commission as well as other federal funding sources.

As the community works to assure no one is left behind without access to affordable, quality highspeed service in our region, we also need to assure that no one is left behind because they do not have the devices available to use the internet. So we want to thank Frontier Communications and the California Emerging Technology Fund for working with 11 regional tribes that had students who did not have computers. Frontier and CETF are providing more than 1,400 Chromebooks as gifts to tribal students to facilitate participation in distance learning.

All of this work is vital in creating more connections from Humboldt to the world. One amazing example of what can happen when HSU expertise reaches beyond our local community is our Northern California Small Business Development Center. The SBDC program at HSU oversees programs in 36 counties. It has played an important role in helping businesses during the pandemic, providing over 76,000 counseling sessions and training for over 56,000 individuals. It received an additional $7 million in federal funding to provide assistance during the crisis. New efforts include the major new Inclusivity Project focused on black-owned businesses and a new Tech SBDC located at UC Davis.

We think almost everyone agrees that we need more broadband in our region. It’s coming. So now the question is “What are we going to do to improve prosperity in the region when we get the broadband we need?”

Be well.