East Bay Broadband Consortium
A new event series bringing music, food, art, and community back to Uptown Oakland.
East Bay Broadband Consortium is a fiscally sponsored project of The Oakland Fund.
OVERVIEW
The East Bay Broadband Consortium (EBBC) is a regional collaborative working to close the digital divide and expand opportunity across Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties. EBBC brings together local governments, educational institutions, community organizations, philanthropy, businesses, and residents to advance equitable access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet.
EBBC grew out of the digital equity work of #OaklandUndivided, where partners demonstrated the power of bringing community, government, philanthropy, and education together to address barriers to connectivity. As that work expanded beyond Oakland, so did the opportunity to build a regional approach to digital equity, one that recognizes reliable broadband as a foundation for education, employment, healthcare, economic opportunity, and civic participation.
While EBBC now serves communities throughout the East Bay, its work remains rooted in Oakland and in the belief that locally informed, community-driven solutions can overcome systemic barriers and create lasting systems change.
WHAT WE DO
By coordinating across jurisdictions and sectors, EBBC works to ensure that communities historically excluded from broadband investment and decision-making have the power to shape the policies, investments, and solutions that impact them. EBBC advances this work through:
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EBBC will ground in community truth, leveraging best practices from previous regional efforts to collect data at scale, identify gaps, and inform strategic planning across the East Bay.
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EBBC advocates for equitable broadband policies and represent the East Bay region in statewide digital equity discussions.
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EBBC engages local communities and regional institutions to raise awareness of digital equity initiatives and promote participation in programs that expand broadband access and adoption.
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EBBC ensures the East Bay fully benefits from historic state and federal investments by providing technical assistance, coordinating advocacy, and facilitating the use of infrastructure and service programs (e.g., FFA Last Mile, MMBI, BEAD, E-Rate, Lifeline, CASF).
This spirit of collaboration and mutual uplift will continue as we celebrate Pride in Oakland, Latine Heritage Month and finally the 60th anniversary of of the Black Panther Party.
Why Digital Equity Matters
Reliable, affordable internet is no longer a luxury. It is essential infrastructure for participating fully in our economy, our schools, our healthcare system, and our communities.
For too many East Bay residents, where they live or what they earn still determines whether they can reliably get online.
We envision an East Bay where every resident has the connectivity, devices, and support they need to learn, work, access essential services, build economic opportunity, and participate in civic life.
When communities are connected, students have greater opportunities to succeed, workers can access more pathways to employment, entrepreneurs can build and grow businesses, families can access critical services, and residents can have a stronger voice in the communities they call home.
Access to reliable broadband means access to opportunity.
GET INVOLVED
Help connect the East Bay. East Bay Broadband Consortium is a fiscally sponsored project of The Oakland Fund. All donations made to this initiative are tax-deductible. You can show your support by selecting East Bay Broadband Consortium on the donation page linked above.
To learn more about our work, visit www.eastbaybroadband.org
or e-mail us at info@eastbaybroadband.org
For updates, news, and opportunities from the East Bay Broadband Consortium, follow us on social media and sign up for our quarterly newsletter.
