Tech Exchange selected among 23 community organizations to support San José 10-year digital inclusion effort

PICTURED ABOVE (left to right): Lân Diệp San Jose City Council - District 4; Magdalena Carrasco, San Jose City Council - District 5; Kansen Chu, State of California Assemblymember - District 25; Seth Hubbert, Executive Director, Tech Exchange; Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose

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Despite being the largest city in Silicon Valley, San José has a persistent digital divide that excludes many residents from the opportunities offered by technologies that are developed in its own backyard. A city-sponsored survey found that 95,000 San José residents (50,000 households) lack access to broadband. Statewide; the number of unconnected residents is five million. 

A grant from the San Jose City Council aims to bridge the divide by connecting 50,000 San José low-income households to the Internet in the next 10 years.

San José is using fees collected from companies rolling out 5G and leveraging them with privately-raised funds. The program expects to distribute up to $24 million in grants over the next decade to local nonprofits, public agencies and educational institutions. The selected organizations are positioned to offer universal device access and affordable universal connectivity, ensuring currently disconnected households achieve and sustain the appropriate digital skills proficiency level to stay ahead of technology and increase quality of life outcomes.

The city has designed the Partnership to be a collaborative, outcomes-driven effort by a wide range of community institutions, nonprofits, corporations and civic leaders. CETF, a statewide nonprofit established in 2005 by the California Public Utilities Commission to close the digital divide by accelerating the deployment of broadband, has been appointed by the San José City Council to manage the grants from the Digital Inclusion Fund. 
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The San José City Council announced recipients of the grant, including Tech Exchange among the 23 organizations:

​2020 DIGITAL INCLUSION FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS

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Ace Charter Schools
Alum Rock Union School District
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
Cristo Rey San Jose High School
First Community Housing
Goodwill of Silicon Valley
Hoover PTA
International Children Assistance Network, Inc.
Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley
International Rescue Committee, Inc.
Lit Lab
Latinos United for New America

NPower, Inc.
Rocketship Public Schools
Sacred Heart Community Service
The San Jose Library Foundation
San Jose Community Media Access Corp.
City of San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
Step Up and Do Something!
Street Code Academy
Tech Exchange
Third Street Community Center
The Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation, Inc.

“Digital access is still a barrier for far too many Bay Area residents,” says Seth Hubbert, Executive Director of Tech Exchange. “Approximately 1.5 million Bay Area residents lack access to broadband and a home computer. The Digital Inclusion Fund helps to leverage our collective commitment to building stronger and more inclusive communities.”