County Digital Equity Initiatives
Each NBNCBC member county implements targeted digital equity programs uniquely tailored to their communities and local objectives, ensuring residents have the tools and skills needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
Marin County
Digital Marin – Connecting Communities Project
- Marin County is moving forward with a Digital Marin Connecting Communities Project at five Marin Housing Authority sites. The project’s public outreach and needs assessment revealed this group of residents disproportionately experiences the digital divide between those who can afford and obtain internet service and those who cannot. The initiative provides an internet-ready device and two years of free internet service, support, and training for 200 older adults and people with disabilities living at the sites.
- Through collaboration among Marin Housing Authority, Marin County Information Services and Technology (IST), Marin County Free Library (MCFL), and Xfinity Comcast, the project is well underway, with free internet service already available at two sites and device distribution in progress.
- Read the full press release HERE
Mendocino County
- Mendocino County is partnering with Rural Counties Representatives of California (RCRC) and the Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) to apply for the California Digital Equity Program (CalDEP) Capacity Grant. Mendocino’s proposed allocation is approximately $630,000. This funding will go towards digital equity planning and advanced adoption initiatives.
Napa County
- Napa County is partnering with Rural Counties Representatives of California (RCRC) and the Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) to apply for a grant from the California Digital Equity Program (CalDEP). Napa County has been allocated $215,000 under this program. The money will go toward developing a digital equity plan for Napa County and will also help support local community organizations to provide digital equity services to residents.
- Join the Napa County Digital Equity Working Group! We are a group of non-profit community organizations, County agencies and other interested parties that meet to solve digital equity issues within Napa County. Please contact Napa County’s Broadband Project Manager, Mark Revis, by email at mark.revis@countyofnapa.org or by telephone at (707) 299-1519, to join or for more information.
Current members are:
- Community Health Initiative
- Disability Services and Legal Center
- Napa Valley Community Foundation
- Napa Valley Support Services
- Community Health Napa Valley
- UpValley Family Centers
- Cope Family Center
- Napa/Solano Area Agency on Aging
- Napa County Commission on Aging
- Napa Valley Unified School District
- Pope Valley Elementary School
- Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation
- Napa County Health and Human Services Agency
- Napa County Information Technology Services
Sonoma County
Digital Needs Assessment
- In September 2024, EDC retained Los Cien to conduct a Digital Needs Assessment throughout Sonoma County to determine what barriers communities are facing to fully access and participate in the digital world. The Digital Needs Assessment focused on communities who scored low on the Human Development Index (HDI), which is a measure for a community’s health, wealth, and wellbeing, as described in the Portrait of Sonoma and Health Action Together reports, along with other low-income areas. To ensure adequate representation of the populations most in need of these services, Los Cien partnered with several community organizations and attended in-person events to distribute the surveys.
- In total, 579 responses were received. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the respondents identified as Hispanic or Latino and 30% white. The average reported household income was $36,000 and average size of household was 3.2 people. Interestingly, 80% of respondents reported having access to internet in their homes, either through home computers or cell phones. However, when asked about internet speeds, costs, and devices used, there is a clear divide in the respondents’ ability to fully access the internet. The full Digital Needs Assessment report can be found HERE. Data highlights include:
- 80% of Low-Income HH are paying more than $30/month on internet, despite being eligible for low-income internet plans.
- 60% are receiving service speeds below State/Federal standards (100/20 MBPS) and yet majority (66%) are paying at least $50/month.
- 44% reported having no devices or only a smartphone. That figure increases to 53% when isolating for households with school-aged children.
Free Internet Program
- The Sonoma County Economic Development Collaborative is partnering with Comcast to provide free internet, at a set speed of 100/20 megabits per second, for a period of one year to 556 units in affordable housing sites across the county. This is a time limited program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Sites were selected based on the results of our digital needs assessment and prioritize low-income workers, seniors, families with school-aged children, and supportive housing sites. The EDC will also be partnering with MidPen Housing, Burbank Housing, and West County Community Services on implementation of this program. The properties selected for this program include:
- Springs Village in Sonoma
- Celestina Garden Apartments in Sonoma
- 414 Petaluma in Petaluma
- Logan Place in Petaluma
- Crossroads Apartments in Santa Rosa
- Carillo Place Apartments in Santa Rosa
- Larkfield Oaks in Santa Rosa
- Harvest Grove Apartments in Healdsburg
- Fife Creek Commons in Guerneville
- Elderberry Commons in Sebastopol
- Read more about this program and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisor’s approval of selected in the Broadband Update board materials from Tuesday, March 11, 2025.