The California Public Utilities Commission approved a $4.86 million grant to increase affordable, high-speed internet access in San Luis Obispo in October.
In collaboration with internet company Astound Broadband, the grant will fund the San Luis Obispo Broadband Network Project, a city plan to bring all residents up to the same advanced level of connectivity and work towards 100% internet coverage in the city.
Astound Broadband plans to provide consistent and steady pricing that will remain the same for 10 years and provide a specific plan for low-income individuals, said Josh Erquiaga, San Luis Obispo city information technology manager.
The city’s research discovered internet services in San Luis Obispo are more expensive than similar markets, according to Erquiaga. The city is creating the plan for the connectivity process, and Astound Broadband puts the plan into action by connecting residents and providing internet services.
Most San Luis Obispo residents currently rely on either AT&T or Charter for internet services, according to Erquiaga. However, some areas of the city have strong internet while others go without high-speed internet or without internet at all.
Particularly high concentrations of poor access lie in the city’s southwest sector along Tank Farm Road and South Higuera Street and the southeast along Orcutt Road and Tank Farm Road, according to the broadband plan.
The company hopes that improvements in quality and access to internet throughout the city will combat the disadvantages of those working in an office or home in a small town, said Jeff Buckingham, Astound Broadband business solutions senior director.
“We will be working to bring fiber networking and high speed connectivity to areas that haven’t had it before,” Buckingham said. “We will be able to target areas, street by street and house by house in some cases.”
The broadband plan will not have any effect on Cal Poly’s campus. The university currently has the ideal connectivity that the plan wants to create in other parts of San Luis Obispo, according to Buckingham.
“Cal Poly has fiber internet to every building and residence hall,” Buckingham said. “The goal here is to bring the city of San Luis Obispo up to the same level of connectivity as Cal Poly students on campus enjoy today.”
Astound Broadband’s dedication to assisting low-income individuals with internet access proves especially important now as the United States Congress did not re-approve the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program in April, which helped lower the cost of internet for low-income individuals, according to Erquiaga.
The project is the city’s first step within a larger broadband plan to provide the best quality internet services to San Luis Obispo residents. Although the current focus is on low-income individuals and underserved communities, the infrastructure benefits other residents as well, Erquiaga said.
The city hopes for project completion by summer 2026. The timeline is tight but attainable, Erquiaga explained.
The city will post updates on their website for community members to follow the project’s progress.
