Since December, MBEP has secured more than $613,000 in CASF Adoption grants
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday awarded Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) $463,644 for three Connected Communities Hubs projects establishing free public broadband access sites in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties. The awards are part of $3.29 million in grants from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Adoption Account to support 21 projects expanding digital literacy training and public broadband access in communities across the state.
In the past three months alone, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership has secured a total of $613,619 in CASF Adoption grants to expand digital opportunities in the tri-county region.
MBEP’s Connected Communities Hubs project will launch inclusive, fully equipped broadband access hubs in rural and low-income communities. Trusted community sites such as libraries, senior centers, and schools will offer reliable, free Wi-Fi, and publicly available desktop computers preloaded with shortcuts to key online tools such as CalFresh, DMV services, telehealth, job search platforms, and the Google suite of office tools. Staff with bilingual language skills will be provided for general help and for assistance with enrolling in low-cost affordable internet plans.
“Broadband infrastructure is just the first step toward full digital inclusion,” said Monterey Bay Economic Partnership President & CEO Tahra Goraya. “Our communities also need internet access and support to gain digital skills, and this initiative will help to close those gaps.”
Together, the Connected Community Hubs initiatives will serve a combined 10,800 participants in high-needs areas of the tri-county region.
“These Connected Community Hubs projects meet participants where they are at —in their own communities, in ways that empower them — eliminating barriers of cost, equipment, digital literacy, and language,” said Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Associate Director, Economic Development & Digital Access Maure Gildea.
The CASF Broadband Adoption Account was established to increase publicly available or after-school broadband access and to promote digital inclusion in communities with limited broadband adoption. The program prioritizes low-income communities, seniors, and communities facing socioeconomic barriers to broadband access.
In November 2025, MBEP was awarded a $149,975 Broadband Adoption Account grant for Digital Navigators, a collaborative project with Rural Prosperity to bring twice-weekly digital literacy classes to at least 275 residents in Greenfield, King City, and Soledad.
Since 2016, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership has led the charge to make high-speed internet a reality for all. Through a focused strategy of Infrastructure, access, and awareness, MBEP has advanced regional solutions as executive director for the Central Coast Broadband Consortium (CCBC) and founding executive director of the South Salinas Valley Broadband Authority (SSVBA). MBEP has secured over $73 million in broadband infrastructure funding for rural and underserved communities in the Monterey Bay region and prioritized 33,000+ unserved residents in state and federal broadband funding pipelines through strategic advocacy and mapping.
About Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP): Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) is a regional member-supported nonprofit organization consisting of public, private, and civic entities located throughout the counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz. Founded in 2015, our mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life in the region.