The case for cities building their own internet networks

For many Angelenos, cost remains the main barrier to having reliable, high-speed internet at home.

And low-income households often end up paying disproportionately high rates for service, since there's little commercial competition in their neighborhoods.

Digital equity advocates say the issue urgently requires public intervention. That’s because, they say, the internet has become essential for everyday modern life, and should be treated as a public utility like water and electricity.

Today, most public services from doctors' appointments and job applications to drivers’ license renewals have gone digital.

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“Now we can clearly see that without access to good, reliable, affordable broadband people are really at a disadvantage and are not able to meet their basic needs,” said Cristal Mojica, who leads the digital equity initiative for the Michelson 20MM Foundation.

Last week, the nonprofit released a new report on the state of digital equity in Los Angeles called The Road to Broadband for All: Internet as a Public Good and Civil Right.

It found that the end of a federal broadband subsidy in May had left many people unable to afford basic internet, "affecting their ability to work, access healthcare, and meet essential needs."

In California, nearly 3 million households were enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which gave eligible people $30 off their monthly internet bill. It ran out of money this year after Congress failed to renew funding. At the time, most major internet providers promised to continue offering affordable rates through 2024.

The case for public services

The report spotlights the “urgent need” for public internet services, and recommends that cities build out more publicly-funded broadband services. It points to the city of Santa Monica, which launched its own citywide fiber-optic network in 2002, as a leading example.

“Municipally-owned and community broadband projects are not driven by profit making. Yes, they have to be a viable business but their main responsibility is to serve the community in an equitable way,” said Mojica.

Several other projects across the region are in the pipeline:

• Three groups recently won a combined $96 million to launch their own networks in Crenshaw, Huntington Park and in the Gateway Cities on the southeast side of L.A. County. It’s part of the state’s last-mile grant fund, which is meant to expand internet access in digitally disadvantaged communities.

• L.A. County is launching its own high-speed broadband service aimed at low-income residents in South L.A., East L.A. and Boyle Heights, with plans as low as $25 per month.

• The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA won a $25K grant this summer from the Michelson 20MM Foundation to launch its own community broadband project in the Pico-Union neighborhood. The project will “empower” immigrants and low-income families with digital literacy training and job opportunities.

What digital discrimination means

The issue of low-income residents being offered expensive, low quality service has become known as digital discrimination.

Mojica said advocates need to make sure people know about digital equity and what to do when they face this discrimination in the marketplace. Only 39% of survey respondents were able to confidently identify what digital discrimination means.

“It can [mean] being offered the same service as someone else at a higher cost or it can be paying the same amount as someone else for subpar service,” Mojica said.

In January, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the nation's first city-level digital discrimination policy. It creates a new way for residents to submit discrimination complaints against internet service providers.

Since then, about a half dozen cities on the southeast side of the county, including Maywood, South Gate and Bell Gardens have passed motions to hold private broadband companies accountable.

Mojica says the group will partner with lawmakers to re-introduce a bill next year to tackle digital discrimination at the state level.