LA County’s Community Broadband Networks to Deliver Affordable Internet to 300,000+ Households

More than 300,000 households across East and South Los Angeles now have a path to affordable, high-speed internet.

Los Angeles County and WeLink Communications announced that construction on the County’s first Community Broadband Networks is nearing completion, bringing internet service to residents and small businesses in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Watts, Willowbrook, and dozens of other communities. Plans start at just $25 a month for qualifying households, $65 a month for market-rate, with no credit checks or cash deposits necessary

HR&A’s Tech & Society team has worked alongside the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department since 2021, analyzing County-owned sites for wireless deployment, designing and running the competitive solicitation that selected WeLink, collecting the Digital Equity Index data that showed where need was greatest, and helping build a Digital Navigator program with more than thirty community-based organizations to support enrollment and digital literacy.  That work helped unlock $56 million in federal funding and is enabling one of the most competitive broadband offerings in the country.

HR&A now guides the County through implementation, ensuring the network delivers on its promises and that communities most impacted by the digital divide are informed, enrolled, and supported.

Fewer than two dozen broadband projects of this scale and speed are underway nationally. LA County’s initiative stands out not just for its size, but because the same partners were at the table along the way, considering the needs of LA County residents from strategy through implementation. HR&A is proud to have supported the County at every stage.

Read the full press release here.

Learn more about our work with Los Angeles County here.