Construction of high-speed internet project begins in Compton

Construction is underway on a broadband project that will connect high-speed internet to 24 city halls — and eventually, consumers — in southeast L.A., an area historically at the center of the region’s digital divide.

Officials broke ground on the project in Compton this week, marking the beginning of five phases of construction that will eventually span 125 miles through dozens of cities, including Huntington Park, Bellflower and Downey.

The $104 million network will be paid for with grants from the California Department of Technology’s middle mile broadband initiative and the California Public Utilities Commission’s last mile federal funding account.

Hector de la Torre, executive director of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, said this level of investment is out of the ordinary for southeast L.A. (The Gateway Cities Council of Governments is a grouping of local governments in southern and southeastern L.A. County that coordinates some services.)

“On average, most of us get at best one gigabyte per second of speed with incumbent providers. This will be 10 gigabytes per second,” De la Torre said. “This is the best and, in our communities, we're not used to getting the best. We're used to getting what's left.”

The pandemic exposed a dire need for higher quality internet access in these communities, he added.

“What we saw during COVID, for example, was kids going to McDonald's and sitting in the parking lot or outside doing their homework because they didn't have access to quality internet at home, both because of accessibility and cost,” De la Torre said. “This is a step in the right direction, to bring it into the communities.”

How it works

The fiber optic cables will connect through 24 city halls throughout southeast L.A.. Once completed, each local government will be responsible for how to get that high-quality internet into the community.

The lines will be directly connected to the state’s Middle Mile Broadband Network, a $5 billion initiative to install fiber optic cable throughout the state and improve access to quality internet. The project is aimed at areas that have no internet or slow connections.

“The next step would be to do a competitive bid to find an internet service provider that can light up the fiber optic cable and provide that internet access. We will be doing that later this year,” De la Torre said.

The cost to the consumer will be low, he added.

“And this isn't hypothetical. The South Bay Council of Governments … they've done this already,” De la Torres said. “And they have found higher speeds at much less cost.”

Phase 2 of construction is expected to begin next month. Soon, all five phases will be happening simultaneously to complete the project by December 2026.