San Andreas, CA…On October 19, 2022, Calaveras County received notice that they have been awarded a Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grant in the amount of $500,000 from the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) for the engineering design of broadband deployment throughout the county.

The LATA program provides 100% funding to eligible applicants for identified projects that advance the deployment of broadband infrastructure. Counties can apply for up to $1,000,000 to fund 100% of identified projects that are considered pre-deployment, not construction or equipment purchases. Applications that are submitted for $500,000 or less are granted through a Ministerial Review process at the staff level. The funding is provided on a reimbursement basis.

Since 2021, the county has been working closely with Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) and Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) to establish a broadband plan and a list of priority project areas in unserved or underserved communities

As both a RCRC and GSCA member county, Calaveras county will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GSCA for the management of the grant and project development. GSCA will contract with a professional network design firm for the development of individual county network designs, oversee the development of work product, manage the grant cash flow, and provide required grant reports on behalf of member counties for timely submittal and reimbursement. This agreement will eliminate cash flow concerns of the county as 100% reimbursement occurs upon project completion. GSCA will absorb the cash flow ebbs and flows.

Funding is made available from the 2021-22 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the goals established by the state for broadband inclusion. The proposed engineering design work will be completed in 2022-23 and the construction and implementation of last mile solutions to individual customers will be completed in 2024-26.
The GSCA MOU and grant acceptance will be heard before the Board of Supervisors at the November 8, 2022 meeting. Interested persons are encouraged to join the meeting in-person or via ZOOM.

For questions contact Kathy Gallino at Kgallino@co.calaveras.ca.us or directly at 209-754-6742.
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