Redwood Coast Connect Consortium
The Redwood Coast Connect Consortium (RCC), created by Redwood Coast Rural Action, is a regional network of community leaders with the ongoing initiative to make affordable broadband available to all residents in rural Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties. Having laid the groundwork since 2007 through its research and analysis of the needs of the residents to report key factors on broadband services and mapping in its unserved and underserved areas, holding forums to bring together community leaders, elected officials/government agencies, tribal elected officials and leaders, business, public safety, and existing communications providers, and maintaining its partnerships within the community, RCC strives to continue the successes begun when it received one of the first CETF matching grants.
The nine goals of the RCC are:
- Review and update existing studies and plans;
- Create funding plans for middle mile, last mile, and public safety deployment;
- Promote the CASF fund;
- Develop, enhance, and implement adoption and training plans and programs;
- Promote policy change to ease broadband deployment and adoption;
- Provide support to remove barriers impeding advancement of wireless broadband deployment;
- Ensure community involvement;
- Create a regional learning community;
- Provide project management support for RCC Consortium.
The six organizations which comprise the consortium membership have regional business and communications expertise and success developing and launching broadband networks benefitting the communities they serve which brings valuable experience to the RCC mission.
The RCC Consortium requested and received CASF consortia funding of $150,000 in Year 1 with intention to renew for Years 2 and 3. In total, the RCC received $450,000 for its continuing work of bringing broadband deployment, access, and adoption to the state’s seven-county north coast region.
Adapted from the summary prepared by the CPUC Communications Division
