California Expands Broadband Access with $21 Million in Last Mile Funding

Jan. 20, 2026 – The California Public Utilities Commission approved four grants on Thursday totaling up to $21 million to expand reliable, high-speed internet in Contra Costa, Inyo and Monterey counties. 

The grants are part of California’s Last Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA), a program contributing to broadband infrastructure projects that support education, work, tourism and the environment. 

Last Mile FFA has served 58 different California counties, including construction of Placerville’s open-access fiber network and Carson’s broadband pilot network to hundreds of homes and businesses. 

The four grants from Last Mile FFA announced Thursday will expand broadband service to 1,752 rural and suburban locations that lack reliable internet access, assisting nearly 64,000 residents, businesses and institutions.  

Grant recipients include a mix of public, nonprofit, and private partners: the California Broadband Alliance, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and Stimulus Technologies.

“This investment will ensure Contra Costa County residents have the reliable broadband access they need to fully participate in today’s economy,” said Tim Haile, executive director of Contra Costa Transportation Authority. 

“By expanding Last-Mile infrastructure, we’re helping close long-standing connectivity gaps and ensuring more households can access education, healthcare, and job opportunities,” Haile said.

Last Mile FFA recently funded a $20.2 million Fiber-Optic Broadband Project in Placerville, California. The program has totaled $1.23 billion in approved grants since the account was established in 2021.

In the 122 broadband infrastructure projects that have been approved, 7,500 miles of fiber-optic cable lines have been proposed for construction to serve two million Californians. 

“This program has been transformational, investing funds for broadband infrastructure projects across the state to provide high-quality service where it would otherwise not have been possible, bringing us closer to achieving our state’s Broadband For All objectives,” said CPUC President Alice Reynolds.