The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) says it has approved another $74 million in California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grants to expand affordable high-speed Internet infrastructure to underserved communities across the Golden State.
According to the CPUC’s recent announcement, the funding will support six new Internet access infrastructure projects across Marin, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma counties, bringing reliable, high-speed Internet service to nearly 1,800 previously completely unserved homes and businesses.
Three providers will be spearheading the six expansion projects:
- Surfnet Communications will receive up to $33.2 million to construct the Santa Barbara Fiber and Central Coast Fiber Broadband projects, serving 1,293 unserved locations across Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties.
- WiConduit and GigabitNow will receive up to $32.4 million for the Forestville Connect Extension, Graton Connect, and Sonoma Coast Connect Extension projects, bringing fiber broadband service to 341 unserved locations in Sonoma County.
- Hankins Information Technology will receive up to $8.5 million for the West Marin Project, providing fiber broadband service to 154 unserved locations in Bolinas, Nicasio, Point Reyes Station, Stinson Beach, and surrounding communities in Marin County.
The investments are an ongoing part of California’s landmark $6 billion Broadband for All Initiative, which prioritized closing the digital divide in all of California’s 58 counties, which recently culminated in the launch of the state’s new $3.2 billion Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI).
“High-speed internet is essential infrastructure for every Californian,” CPUC President John Reynolds said of the latest $74 million in project funding. “These investments will expand reliable broadband service to rural communities that have historically been left behind, while advancing California’s Broadband for All goals.”
The CPUC notes that many of the targeted areas are within or near high fire-threat areas, with the investment helping to improve communication resilience during emergencies through more reliable broadband infrastructure.
All six of the projects also prioritize lower-cost options for low-income households struggling to afford internet access.
California’s initiatives come as the federal U.S. government and Trump administration have abandoned all affordability and equitable deployment initiatives, and attempted to derail a long list of programs aimed at bringing discounted Internet access to communities where private sector market failure has resulted in spotty access, high prices, and slow speeds.
To date, the CPUC says it has awarded more than $141 million for 14 projects from the October 31, 2025, CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account application cycle.
Inline image of California wildfire courtesy of The Pepperbox, Mike Lewelling National Park Service, Attribution 2.0 Generic, CC BY 2.0
