The San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium
(SJVRBC) has received final approval for funding from the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC). After CPUC finished its initial review of the 15
regional consortia grant applications filed in August, seven consortia,
including the SJVRBC, not only met the grant qualifications but earned the
highest scores. The full commission voted to approve a formal funding resolution
on December 1, 2011.
The SJVRBC is under the umbrella of the California
Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and is being administered by the Office of
Community and Economic Development at Fresno
State, with assistance from the Great Valley
Center. The SJVRBC will
be working diligently during the next three years to focus on accelerating the
deployment, accessibility, and adoption of broadband within the eight counties
of the San Joaquin
Valley.
The SJVRBC requested California Advanced Services Fund
consortia funding of $150,000 in Year 1 with an intention to renew for the same
amount in Years 2 and 3. The San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband
Consortium represents Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San
Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare
Counties.
SJVRBC's goals are:
- Expedite the provision of broadband access in all areas of the San Joaquin Valley;
- Promote accessibility and adoption of broadband in targeted underserved communities and populations (e.g., develop and implement a plan to ensure high school students graduate with basic computer literacy skills);
- Expand and replicate successful model programs to increase broadband access and bridge the digital divide;
- Accelerate deployment of broadband infrastructure through Telemedicine and Telehealth technology (e.g., develop and implement a plan to connect health clinics with medical centers); and
- Work with neighboring regional consortia to ensure the development of cohesive infrastructure.
The SJVRBC is represented by members of the public-private
sectors including telecommunications providers and industry associations;
government, economic development corporations, and business development
centers; local educational agencies and institutions of higher education;
health delivery organizations, community-based and nonprofit organizations; and
accessibility advocates. The consortium membership brings years of experience
in a variety of areas that will enhance the ability of the SJVRBC to meet its
goals. Namely, that have successfully increased utilization by residents
through digital literacy programs, pursued funding for deployment, built upon
existing infrastructure for Telemedicine/Telehealth, and expanded digital
literacy programming.
The Consortium will convene in December to discuss
next steps, goals of the work groups, and develop a meeting schedule for the
next year.
For additional information on the SJVRBC, contact
Christine Nutting, Associate Director for the Office of Community and Economic
Development, California State University,
Fresno, at
(559) 294-2230 or cnutting@csufresno.edu.
