An additional item has been added to the county board of supervisors agenda for its meeting tomorrow.
The item is to receive and file the San Luis Obispo county broadband strategic plan. The plan has been developed by Golden State Finance Authority, in cooperation with the rural county representatives of California, and with approval from the board of supervisors in 2021.
The goal of the strategic plan is to identify areas of need within the county, and formulate a strategy to address the connectivity needs of residents, businesses, and anchor institutions. The plan currently says that approximately 94% of the serviceable locations in the county are served. 86% of the remaining unserved locations are unincorporated areas. Across the entire county, there is a significant gap in access to reliable download and upload speeds, and a lack of competition.
Based on the current conceptual design, the cost for implementing the strategic plan would be around $146 million, with opportunities for state and federal grants, local resources and partnerships.
