8/17/2023 0 Comments Utopia fiber![]() UTOPIA is the natural partner for such an endeavor, operating the largest open access fiber-to-the-home network in the country with about 150,000 passings. In an email to ILSR, Communications Director Carolyn Jhajj shared that efforts will be focused on last-mile connections and, rather than build out RCRC member counties ubiquitously, will instead focus on unserved and underserved portions of the county. There are few details beyond the press announcement at this time, but so far, it looks like the undertaking will take aim for areas of RCRC member counties where communities are plagued by underinvestment by the private marketplace and build new, publicly owned, open access infrastructure. The announcement, along with the wealth of state funding programs announced by California over the last year, will provide new opportunities for local communities to get connected.Ī New, Massive, Open Access Fiber Network It held its first meeting in late December 2021. Under its Joint Powers Agreement, the GSCA has wide latitude in pursuing solutions to the digital divide for its members, including owning infrastructure, issuing municipal and industrial development bonds, establish nonprofit entities to expand access (including through digital inclusion programs), and setting rates for service. RCRC member counties constitute about 14 percent of the state's population, or about 2.1 million households. Its mission is to "assist rural counties in identifying pathways for development of internet infrastructure within their communities, including the construction of municipal-owned and/or operated internet systems, among other options." GSCA leverages the collective power of the RCRC membership for financing efforts, to go after state and federal funds, and to combine the efforts of bringing together leadership to bridge the digital divide for Californians living outside of urban areas. ![]() The Golden State Connectivity Authority (see image right) is one of its most recent projects, and explicitly aims to improve Internet access via municipal solutions. ![]() RCRC seeks to tackle the variety of shared problems that the state's rural communities face by advancing concrete policy solutions across transportation, energy, natural resources, governance, healthcare, and a collection of other arenas. The Golden State Connectivity Authority is a joint powers authority (JPA) created by the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), which represents more than three dozen rural counties across the state. ![]()
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