Mono County Awarded More than $10 Million in Grant Funding for Local Broadband Infrastructure Projects

MONO COUNTY, Calif. (AUGUST 30, 2024) - On August 22, 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced awarding $237 million in grant funding for projects across California. Mono County was awarded $10,232,148 in funding to support "Last Mile" projects in the Town of Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Mountain and the Mammoth Lakes Basin, June Lake, and communities from Convict Lake to McGee Creek. The goal of the new last-mile grant funding is to expeditiously connect unserved and underserved communities to broadband service. Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) applied for these grants on behalf of Mono County.

"Broadband is more than just high-speed internet - it's a lifeline for our rural communities in Mono County," said Supervisor Rhonda Duggan, GSCA Board Director. "It connects our residents to vital resources, supports local businesses, and ensures that every student, family, and healthcare provider has the tools they need to thrive. In a region as beautiful and remote as ours, broadband is essential to bridging the digital divide and fostering a future where everyone can succeed."

The funded projects will initialize the deployment of an open-access, last mile, municipal, fiber broadband network that will result in robust, quality service to our residents, businesses, and anchor institutions. GSCA will finance, construct, own, operate, and maintain the open-access, last-mile fiber broadband infrastructure and will invite service providers to use the network to offer services to customers in a competitive environment. Such a model will offer choice to the customer and create a competitively priced environment.

Last mile broadband infrastructure is the physical part of a broadband network that connects a provider's network to a home or building. It is the final leg of the network that delivers telecommunication services to end-users, such as homes and businesses. GSCA is a Joint Powers Authority established in December 2021 comprised of forty rural California counties, and the cities therein. Mono County is a member, and Supervisor Duggan sits on the GSCA Board of Directors.

The CPUC press release on the awarding of the grant funding can be accessed here.

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