$7.5 Million BTOP Grant to Increase Broadband Access in Los Angeles

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke , joined by Sen Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center, announced a $7.5 million Recovery Act grant that will upgrade and expand 188 computer centers that provide the public with free broadband access to the Internet. The investment will help bridge the technological divide and improve access to job and computer training, and educational opportunities.

The grant was awarded to the Los Angeles' Computer Access Network (L.A.-CAN). The L.A.-CAN project proposes to double the number of workstations available throughout the city at public computer centers in libraries, workforce centers and youth and family centers in low-income and non-English speaking communities. The majority of the 188 proposed centers would be located in or within three miles of federal- and state-designated "Enterprise Zones."

The project proposes to:

• Expand and upgrade free public computer centers at 73 public library locations, 43 WorkSource and OneSource job centers, and 72 recreation centers, senior centers and child care centers—connecting 35 youth and senior centers to broadband Internet service for the first time.
• Expand broadband Internet access to vulnerable populations: 128 of the proposed centers are located in or near areas where 50 percent of the households are non-English speaking.
• Expand broadband Internet access to low-income communities: 158 of the proposed centers are located in areas where 50 percent of the households are at low- or moderate-income levels.
• Provide city residents with access to job and computer training and online search engines, including the library's recently-developed Job Hunting Guide.