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 center...
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