Closing the Digital Divide in the Unincorporated Area

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Broadband Infographic available in other languages to the right under Documents


To improve internet access, reliability, and affordability in the unincorporated areas – a basic need in today’s connected world – the County conducted an extensive study to identify areas lacking reliable, affordable service and the infrastructure needed to change that.

The Plan supports the County’s efforts in attempting to close the digital divide in the unincorporated area by identifying problem areas and the partnerships, infrastructure and education needed to increase access to essential services like telehealth, education, banking, public safety, resilience, and economic opportunity. The Plan is being used

Broadband Infographic available in other languages to the right under Documents


To improve internet access, reliability, and affordability in the unincorporated areas – a basic need in today’s connected world – the County conducted an extensive study to identify areas lacking reliable, affordable service and the infrastructure needed to change that.

The Plan supports the County’s efforts in attempting to close the digital divide in the unincorporated area by identifying problem areas and the partnerships, infrastructure and education needed to increase access to essential services like telehealth, education, banking, public safety, resilience, and economic opportunity. The Plan is being used in determining how to advance the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) when engaging priority communities, like those in rural and border areas. Similarly, the Plan is being leveraged to prioritize locations to host the Get Connected Digital Skills Classes hosted by a partnership between the County, SANDAG, 211 and lead by the San Diego Future’s Foundations.

The Plan compliments the County’s ongoing broadband improvement efforts including the County Library’s Tech Connect Program that provides 7,000 Google Chromebooks and MiFi hotspots with unlimited data plans to connect residents and students to the internet for free. The take-home kits ensured that our communities have the technology needed for full participation in our society and economy. The library has extended the program this year to purchase 2,000 MiFi hotspots for check-out.

By implementing the Plan’s strategy, the County will continue to build regional partnerships and engage public and private entities to work together to expand broadband access. The County will also be looking for ways to partner with local public and private entities for funding opportunities for construction projects that provide internet that is reasonably priced, universally accessible, that offers enhanced speed and network capacity in the unincorporated areas.



What challenges have you or your family experienced trying to access the internet / Wi-Fi?

We want to hear from you! Share your story and experiences about how you access the internet in San Diego County (e.g., public Wi-Fi at the library). Do you and your family have access to the speeds, devices, and training needed to participate in school, work, or public services? What else is the internet essential for? What challenges do you face?

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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    Valley Center

    by th3w, over 1 year ago
    I'm the only house on my street that doesn't have access to cable internet and have to rely on the fixed wireless service that caps out at 15 Mbps at over $100. My only option is to pay out of pocket to have a line dug from a neighboring property, which is incredibly expensive.
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    Dangerous instability during fires or other life threatening emergencies

    by CharlieG, over 1 year ago
    last two years the power was shut off in the area while a large fire was nearby. due to limited cellular signal (verizon) we rely on wifi calling and LTE extenders for signal. this left us completely disconnected from any communication, information or evacuation alerts.
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    slow

    by ruly, over 1 year ago
    Very slow wi-fi reception,all the time. Even with an ethernet connection. Cannot stream from netflix or any other WI-FI download.
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    For Borrego Springs:

    by Borrego Springs Economic Development/Tourism/Education, over 1 year ago

    For Borrego Springs:

    1. Our need for reliable internet is urgent. We suffer outages every week, which makes it very difficult to work, learn, or operate a business.
    2. There are federal and state grant programs that are coming online, and we would like San Diego County to move beyond studies and reports.
    3. We would like to see a specific plan for Borrego Springs in 2022-23, that can then be expanded to other rural parts of the county. We have active community participation in the Revitalization Committees, which would be glad to assist.
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Page last updated: 02 Aug 2023, 01:02 PM