Surfnet Communications’ Central Coast Fiber Broadband and Santa Barbara Fiber projects will connect nearly 1,300 unserved locations across five counties
(July 16, 2026 — Marina, CA) — The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today voted to award up to $33,197,090 to Surfnet Communications to address infrastructure gaps in regions that lack high-speed internet across a five-county region. The commission approved two grants from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Infrastructure Funding Account to provide broadband connectivity to a total of 1,293 unserved locations in Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo counties.
“In a digital age, affordable and reliable broadband infrastructure is an essential public safety component and an economic necessity,” said Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) President & CEO Tahra Goraya. ‘MBEP supports the advancement of solutions to narrow the digital divide and ensure that high-speed internet is both accessible to everyone in our region.”
As the leading force behind the CCBC, MBEP has been at the forefront of regional broadband initiatives to enhance ubiquitous broadband access and digital equity. MBEP provides comprehensive, project-specific support, from project conception through completion. This includes delivering detailed data analysis, technical expertise, and GIS mapping services during project formulation, guiding ISPs through the grant application process to ensure they maximize their projects’ eligibility scores and resulting funding awarded, leveraging partnerships with CPUC officials and regional stakeholders to garner essential public and community support, and assisting with project management and progress reporting to ensure the successful deployment of broadband infrastructure projects.
The CPUC received nearly two dozen letters of support for the Central Coast Fiber Broadband Project from elected officials, residents, and organizations across the region, including Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and the Central Coast Broadband Consortium.
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.