TO: Napa County Housing Commission
FROM: Jennifer Palmer, Executive Director
REPORT BY: Alex Carrasco, Project Manager
SUBJECT: Calistoga Farmworker Center’s Wi-Fi Network
RECOMMENDATION
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Presentation on enhancing the Calistoga Farmworker Center’s Wi-Fi Network
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2024 Napa County Farmworker Housing Needs & Impacts Assessment Report (FHNIA) demonstrated the digital divide between farmworkers with access to communication technology such as Wi-Fi and those who do not. Only 36% of all survey respondents indicated that they have access to Wi-Fi where they live. As a result, one of the key recommendations from FHNIA is to improve Wi-Fi access to improve the quality of life for farmworkers by providing access to online resources such as education, healthcare, and housing opportunities. The FHNIA recommendation led to a collaboration between Napa County Information Technology Services (ITS) and Napa County Housing Authority (Authority) staff to explore funding opportunities for system wide Wi-Fi connectivity at one of the county owned farmworker centers (centers).
ITS led efforts to obtain the required information (including three bids) for funding from the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Broadband Public Housing Account (BPHA) grant, which finances the infrastructure to connect publicly supported community housing to broadband. The deadline for the receipt of applications by the CPUC is June 30, 2025. If awarded, the Calistoga Farmworker Center’s Wi-Fi Network would expand across all buildings to serve both lodgers (dorm units and cafeteria) and property management staff (office, staff units).
Although the CPUC funding offsets infrastructure, the network’s maintenance expenses, and internet service fees are excluded from the grant. Current estimates show that CPUC would fund approximately $29,000 in infrastructure, and at the same time increase the Authority’s annual network operation and maintenance across the centers from $7,572 to $11,088 (Exhibit A attached). Today’s presentation provides an update to the Commission with a focus on future impact to the Authority’s operational budget.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Public Comment
3. Discussion
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In September 2013, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1299 which expanded the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) and added a fourth account (Broadband Public Housing Account (BPHA)), to the CASF program dedicated to broadband access and adoption in publicly supported housing communities.
AB 1299 made not more than $20 million available in grants and loans to a publicly supported community, to finance a project to connect a broadband network to that publicly supported community (infrastructure projects) and not more than $5 million available in grants and loans to a publicly supported community to support programs designed to increase adoption rates for broadband services for residents in that publicly supported community (adoption projects).
In 2021, Governor Newsom signed SB 156 which revised the BPHA to expand eligibility to include publicly supported housing developments, and other housing developments or mobile-home parks with low-income residents, and to make funding available to low-income communities to finance projects to connect broadband networks that offer free broadband service that meets or exceeds state standards, if the low-income community does not have access to any broadband service provider that offers free broadband service that meets or exceeds state standards.
The county owned farmworker centers have historically had minimal or no Wi-Fi access for the lodgers due to lack of resources and funding. Currently, the Authority provides lodgers with Wi-Fi access, however, the connection is limited to the cafeteria and does not extend into the dorm rooms. Additionally, the connection is not equitable - less than a third of lodgers can access the connection at one time. California Human Development (CHD) manages the day to day operations at the centers and has a service agreement with a local internet provider. This internet service is only available to CHD staff.