Libraries Are Key to Providing Broadband Access to California Communities

We live in an increasingly interconnected world, and to fully participate in it—whether that means searching for information online, distance learning, or interviewing for a job on Zoom—requires ever-increasing bandwidth. Unfortunately, approximately one in eight households in California lacks high-speed Internet access, with the digital divide having a disproportionate impact on people of color and low-income and rural households.[1]

For many of these families, the local library is the most reliable, and sometimes the only, way to access the services and information needed to succeed in the 21st century. “The digital divide has decreased, but it has not disappeared, and libraries—open to all—are key to providing this kind of access in all of our communities,” said Sara Jones, director of Marin County Free Library and board president of The Califa Group.

Over the past six years, CENIC has helped bridge this gap by connecting public libraries to the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), the same high-speed broadband network used by the state’s universities, community colleges, and public schools. CalREN is a critical infrastructure for the education, research, and health care communities, connecting more than 20 million users and 12,000 institutions across all 58 counties. Through a partnership with the California State Library and its broadband aggregator Califa (and previously, Southern California Library Cooperative), today 86% of eligible library jurisdictions in California are either connected or in the process of connecting to CENIC’s CalREN.

Before joining CENIC, three-quarters of California’s libraries had very slow connections to the Internet—at or below 20 Megabits per second (Mbps), far slower than many private homes. Two-thirds of libraries were using their Internet connections at capacity. Less than half of libraries were taking full advantage of federal and state discounts, E-Rate and the California Teleconnect Fund respectively.

“It was a bit of a dark age for California libraries,” Deputy Director of the Sacramento Public Library Jarrid Keller recalled. “Libraries were connected to the Internet, but their connections were really poor and that bled into their ability to offer services that require high-speed bandwidth, services that we all take advantage of today, like video-conferencing.”

Now, California public libraries have access to Gigabit speeds with the support of CENIC. Of the 970 library outlets connected to CENIC, 702 have greater than or equal to 100 Mbps connections, and of these, 549 have connections at 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps. Many libraries are connected now with increased speeds of 10 to 100 times their earlier capacity. The Los Angeles Public Library even became the first public library in the world with a 100-Gbps connection.

As a result, broadband access in libraries has become far more reliable, affordable, and accessible. Staff in connected branches report that their libraries are realizing administrative efficiencies enabled by high-speed broadband and providing better support for electronic devices as well as individual and group online learning.

Collectively, libraries have benefited by a CENIC-supported statewide consortium application for federal E-Rate discounts, coupled with ensuring CTF subsidies are maximized. In FY 2018-19, the total pre-subsidy cost of the circuits and hardware purchased by CENIC on behalf of California libraries was approximately $7 million dollars. After applicable federal and state subsidies, California libraries paid roughly 15% of the total costs, or approximately $1 million dollars.

Without a collaborative effort to improve broadband in all California libraries, separate jurisdictions would have continued to negotiate separately for their connections. As a result, broadband services would be limited to jurisdictions with the funding, skills, leadership, and determination required to get a complex technology project off the ground and keep it moving.

With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way Californians learn, work, and live, broadband access is more important than ever before. During times of disaster and recovery, libraries play a critical role in keeping their communities safe, informed, and connected. True to form, library staff quickly adapted to the COVID-19 crisis by creating new virtual programs and expanding digital services to serve their communities’ needs.

Prior to COVID-19, 81% of libraries surveyed by the Public Library Association (PLA)[2] offered public Wi-Fi access even when buildings were closed, and 12% of respondents added that service in response to the pandemic. A smaller percentage of libraries expanded their public Wi-Fi range, provided mobile Internet hotspots, or used bookmobiles to provide Internet access.

“Libraries are important to Californians in a multitude of ways. If we have learned anything during this pandemic, it is that access to broadband is now a social determinant of health, education, work, and economic security. Our homes have become our schools, our workplaces, and our clinics via remote education, work, and telehealth. For those Californians without access at home, public libraries are their lifeline,” said Louis Fox, CEO of CENIC.

And in the midst of emergencies, when people are at their most vulnerable and residential broadband access may go out, libraries are increasingly serving an important role as second responders.[3] When the Tubbs Fire tore through northern California in October 2017, Napa County Library branches were among the few locations that never lost Internet access. Commercial Internet connections were severed in many cities, and many cell towers were damaged in the fire, leaving citizens unable to access information about where the fires were heading. The library responded to patrons’ needs and transformed itself into a communications hub.

In addition to disaster recovery, libraries play a critical role in economic recovery. During and after the Great Recession, public libraries became a lifeline for patrons looking for employment resources, continuing education, and social services. Today, much of the process of searching, applying, and interviewing for jobs takes place online. Libraries offer the devices and connectivity patrons need to polish their resumes, find job listings, and submit applications. Some branches even offer private rooms equipped for high-quality video chats, offering job seekers a place they can conduct video interviews without worrying about being interrupted, or a connection dropping.

In an increasingly digital world, it is no wonder that libraries are becoming the setting for a much wider range of social, economic, and civic activities than ever before. “Whether it’s helping patrons develop digital literacy, connecting them to social services, keeping them informed during disasters or supporting students and job seekers, broadband and broadband-enabled technologies have become an instrumental part of how libraries deliver on each of these goals,” said State Librarian Greg Lucas.

Since 1997, CENIC has provided California’s research and education community with world-class broadband access. CENIC has continued this mission by helping libraries bridge and close the digital divide with the critical infrastructure they need to serve their communities, both now in this time of unprecedented need, and continuing for years to come.

Related Content:

• Our Evolving Public Libraries: Gigabit Connections Bring Fresh Ambitions
• California Libraries Look to a Future Enabled by High-Speed Broadband
• CENIC and the City and County of San Francisco Collaborate to Make San Francisco Public Library the First 10 Gigabit Library in the US

[1] http://www.cetfund.org/progress/annualsurvey

[2] http://www.ala.org/pla/sites/ala.org.pla/files/content/advocacy/covid-19/PLA-Libraries-Respond-Survey_Aggregate-Results_FINAL2.pdf

[3] Deborah Fallows, “When Libraries are ‘Second Responders’,” The Atlantic, May 23, 2019. Available at https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2019/05/when-libraries-are-second-responders/590098/.