California Emerging Technology Fund

Broadband Awareness and Adoption

The Broadband Awareness and Adoption project of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) proposes to increase adoption of broadband in vulnerable and low-income communities in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. CETF has identified key populations with low broadband adoption rates and developed partnerships with organizations uniquely qualified to reach out to each of these populations. Working with these partners, CETF plans to coordinate a targeted media campaign, bolstered by outreach from trusted ambassadors and grassroots mobilization, to reach 5 million multi-lingual residents. CETF intends to provide digital literacy training for more than 678,000 low-income individuals, including more than 300,000 youth. The project expects to increase household adoption of broadband in these high-priority, low-income communities by more than 133,000 households.

Total Award: 
$7251295
BTOP In Action

Representatives from BTOP recipient California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) spent the weekend of September 18-19, 2010, reaching Hispanic residents in the Central Valley through community events. CETF sponsored a large booth at a Mexican Independence Day celebration in Fresno, distributing materials, answering questions, subscribing attendees for broadband services, providing onsite Internet access, and setting up e-mail accounts. The second event, sponsored by CETF’s partner, Radio Bilingue, was targeted at agricultural workers. Attendees received information about CETF’s broadband awareness and adoption campaign. CETF’s involvement in both events was designed to increase awareness of the importance of broadband access and to increase residents’ comfort around computers.

CETF partners also actively engaged community residents, sponsoring Computer Help Day events with Chinese‐speaking seniors in San Francisco’s Chinatown and San Mateo, implementing an education and awareness campaign intended to reach low-income Latino youth and adult audiences in the Central Valley, and promoting basic Internet classes at a farm worker community center in Half Moon Bay, hosting a booth at the San Mateo County Fair, and at two food distribution centers in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

Last Updated: November 22, 2010

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