Until recently, families living along Southside Road in Hollister, California, many of whom are migrant farmworkers, lacked reliable broadband access. Residents at the Hollister Migrant Housing Center, Southside Labor Camp, and Southside Mobile Park faced significant challenges due to this gap. Children had trouble participating in virtual schooling, while parents were unable to apply for jobs or access health services online.
A recent development has changed this situation. A $1.77 million grant from the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Line Extension Program (LEP) has brought high-speed fiber internet to 194 households in the Southside community. The new connection provides speeds sufficient for education, work, healthcare, and other essential needs.
The LEP is part of the California Advanced Services Fund and aims to help low-income residents cover the cost of connecting their homes to existing internet infrastructure when providers do not serve these areas directly because of high costs.
“If we learned anything during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CPUC Analyst Ben Swearingen, “it’s that broadband is no longer a luxury. It’s foundational to economic and educational opportunity.”
Monica Maciel Olvera, a resident of Southside, described how the change affected her family: “Before we had internet, I couldn’t go back to school. Now I can take online classes and work toward a better future for my kids and myself.”
With this expansion of broadband service through programs like LEP, more families now have access to opportunities previously out of reach.
To learn more about qualifying for broadband assistance programs like these, visit the California Advanced Services Fund webpage: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/internet-and-phone/broadband-implementation-for-california/casf-infrastructure-grant-account
The project was carried out by CPUC in partnership with South Valley Internet and Nonprofit Balanced Access.
