State-funded broadband access is coming to South LA. Here’s why

The state is getting closer to making equal access to broadband internet a reality. More Los Angeles County areas are getting set up for high-speed internet in a major project to bridge the digital divide.

Planning is underway for nearly 13 miles of high-capacity fiber lines to be built between downtown L.A. and Gardena, the state announced recently. The lines will be part of California’s growing backbone infrastructure, the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, which will provide a way for underserved communities to get fast connections.

An estimated 416,000 households don’t have internet, according to L.A. County’s Delete The Divide initiative.

What the project does

Connecting to the internet isn’t easy in some neighborhoods.

A handful of service providers can command high prices with shoddy internet speeds. In other cases, the necessary wiring could be missing underground that allows easy and strong connections to homes. That leads many residents to rely on phone hotspots, libraries and more to get online.

That’s why California is spending $6 billion to develop an open-access broadband network through the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative. This won’t be free internet statewide, but it will lay the necessary groundwork for underserved communities to get online. It’s targeted toward regions that have no internet connection or have one with slow download and upload speeds.

The project covers more than 8,000 miles statewide, with L.A. County building 421 miles of those lines by December 2026.

The nearly 13-mile section will be installed along the path of the 110 Freeway, through a partnership between the California Department of Technology and the L.A. Bureau of Street Lighting.

“The concept was to build this along the state highway because we own the state highway,” said Mark Monroe, deputy director of the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, adding that it helps ease land access issues. “ We’re excited about this. The whole reason we’re doing this is to reach those unserved communities.”

The path will cover areas between Wilshire Boulevard and Artesia Boulevard, crossing South L.A., Florence and West Rancho Dominguez. You can see a map of other lines in the county and their progress here.

How connections will happen

In the case of the 110 Freeway corridor, you may notice increased construction along the freeway at the ground level.

A close up of the fiber lines placed underground in Boyle Heights, Calif. on Dec. 12, 2023.

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Courtesy Bob Andosca at the California Department of Technology

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Crews dig ditches to install the cables to set up the middle-mile infrastructure.

Then, nearby communities will be able to tap into those lines every half mile through an internet service provider. That leg of the project is known as the “last mile,” which essentially works like how a driveway connects your house to public roads.

Last-mile providers can include private companies and cities that offer an internet option, such as Huntington Park’s plans to launch its own internet service.

L.A. County is expected to have 421 miles installed by December 2026, Monroe said. About 170 of those miles have already moved into construction. The 110 Freeway lines are on the same timeline as the rest of the project, which means they likely won’t be completed until late next year.