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Rep. Panetta Announces $14.9 Million for Local Broadband and Connectivity

SALINAS, CA – On Monday, March 21, Rep. Jimmy Panetta announced that our congressional district received $14.9 million in funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Connectivity Fund Program (ECF). The ECF program, which was created as part of the American Rescue Plan, helps schools and libraries ensure that students can connect to the internet at home, allowing them to take advantage of online learning and do their homework. The funding has been allocated to school districts that Congressman Panetta represents in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito. “Although the pandemic highlighted the digital divide for many of our students locally, it allowed the federal government to step up and provide the funding necessary for kids to access the internet in many of our communities.” said Rep. Panetta. “This critical funding from the American Rescue Plan will help students on the Central Coast get and stay connected so they can get their work done. I look forward to continuing to work with our superintendents in each county to get them this funding and get our students online.” “I would like to thank Congressman Panetta for his ongoing support and advocacy that is bringing these much needed resources to address the broadband needs in our county,” said Dr. Deneen Guss, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools. “When every student, every family has the ability to connect to the internet it is a lifeline for them in so many ways. Our students need the ability to do online research more now than ever before.” "We are deeply grateful to Congressman Panetta and the Central Coast’s congressional delegation for helping to secure these essential Emergency Connectivity Fund dollars for our community,” said Dr. Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools. “The pandemic has only underscored the impacts of the digital divide, and this funding is essential to ensure Santa Cruz County students have equitable access to broadband technology to help support their educational achievement. This Connectivity will also offer families a fundamental lifeline to address the social determinants of health." “The Emergency Connectivity Fund is a great tool to assist schools in our county with additional connectivity for our students,” said Krystal Lomanto, San Benito County Superintendent of Schools. “This is an instrumental step to closing the homework gap and elevating those with limited access to information. The San Benito County Office of Education looks forward to seeing how this fund can make differences in students’ lives and additional steps for ongoing support in this very important aspect of education.” For eligible schools and libraries, the ECF Program will cover reasonable costs of laptop and tablet computers; Wi-Fi hotspots; modems; routers; and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons. Below are the recipients from the Central Coast: Recipient Funding Alisal Union Elementary School District $ 2,092,237.50 Carmel Unified School District $ 127,994.43 Ceiba College Preparatory Academy $ 64,620.00 Chartwell School $ 24,000.00 Chualar Union Elementary School District $ 82,075.52 Greenfield Union School District $ 781,406.51 Hollister Elem School District $ 363,671.40 Monterey Peninsula Unified Schools $ 224,808.99 Pacific Grove Unified School District $ 238,430.76 Pajaro Valley Unified School District $ 4,139,789.56 Salinas City Elementary School District $ 3,044,270.84 Salinas Public Library $ 24,000.00 Salinas Union High School District $ 411,240.00 San Benito High School District $ 84,810.00 Santa Cruz City School District $ 1,686,718.92 Santa Cruz County Office of Education $ 302,767.85 Santa Rita Union School District $ 1,182,838.04 Spreckels Union School District $ 93,873.90

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