Amy Liu

While most Californians have access to broadband, at least two million households (15 percent) still do not—a gap known as the digital divide. In 2021, California invested $6 billion through Senate Bill (SB) 156 to expand broadband infrastructure, address affordability, and promote digital literacy. The Public Policy Institute of California presents findings from the first year of implementation, drawing on statewide broadband data and interviews with 41 community partners, spread across 54 of California’s 58 counties. The Institute finds that:

A stark spatial hierarchy is emerging in the United States. Big cities are ascendant, enjoying accelerated job growth in a knowledge-driven economy, while midsize cities, small metro areas and rural communities struggle to keep pace. These geographic fault lines have provoked a debate about how to revitalize rural America. What if the best way to rejuvenate small towns is to invest in cities? Proximity to cities does not solely explain rural prosperity. And some direct investments, such as broadband and rural entrepreneurship, can improve rural fortunes.