The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved $3.29 million in grants from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Adoption Account to support 21 projects aimed at expanding digital literacy and public broadband access across California.
The funding will be distributed among 18 digital literacy projects and three broadband access initiatives, reaching an estimated 16,145 residents. The digital literacy programs are expected to provide training for 5,345 participants, while the broadband access projects will deliver connectivity to an additional 10,800 community members in underserved regions.
Counties set to benefit from these projects include Alameda, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Ventura, and Yolo.
Organizations receiving grants include the American GI Forum Education Foundation of Santa Maria ($180,325), Cyber-Seniors ($751,780), Daly City Peninsula Partnership Collaborative ($231,050), Genesis Community Foundation ($1.2 million), HOPE Center of Orange County ($140,532), International Rescue Committee offices in San Jose and San Diego (a combined $324,371), and Monterey Bay Economic Partnership ($463,644). These groups will offer digital skills training tailored to populations such as veterans, seniors, immigrants and refugees, low-income residents, justice-involved youth and high school students. The three broadband access projects will create free public Wi-Fi hubs with necessary equipment.
Each participant in the digital literacy programs will receive at least eight hours of instruction. Grantees are also tasked with supporting broadband subscription enrollment where applicable.
“California has made significant investments in deploying broadband infrastructure, but delivering on the statewide goal of Broadband for All also requires lowering the barriers many Californians face in accessing internet services or using the internet effectively,” said Commissioner Darcie L. Houck. “These awards will support organizations across 14 counties in conducting digital literacy initiatives serving critical, vulnerable populations and enabling public access to broadband in communities with significant need.”
In addition to these commissioner-approved projects from today’s vote—which stemmed from the July 1, 2025 application cycle—92 more projects met ministerial review criteria and are set to receive up to $10.1 million from the Adoption Account. These ministerial awards involve nonprofit organizations as well as community-based groups such as senior centers and schools; they also include four local governments: City of Irwindale, City of Long Beach, Napa County and Sierra County.
Combined with today’s approvals by CPUC commissioners:
– Total investment from this grant cycle could reach $13.4 million.
– Digital literacy training is projected for 22,795 Californians.
– Broadband access may be provided for up to 24,228 people.
– More than 5,100 new broadband subscriptions are anticipated.
The CASF Broadband Adoption Account was created to boost publicly available or after-school broadband access and promote digital inclusion within communities that have limited adoption rates. Priority is given to low-income areas as well as seniors and others facing socioeconomic challenges regarding internet use.
For fiscal year 2025–2026 the CPUC allocated $30 million for this program to continue its efforts statewide.
Grant recipients must start their work within six months after submitting a consent form and finish within two years. Regular progress reports must be submitted to ensure accountability.
Further information about these initiatives can be found on the CPUC website at www.cpuc.ca.gov.
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