BIG Participant Information

Conditions and Expectations for Participation

The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) has identified a school (or schools) in your district to receive a fiber broadband connection (or connections) via the California Department of Education’s Broadband Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program.

The BIG program builds on the success of the Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) project that began in 2015. While the BIIG project focused on the need for sufficient broadband capacity for online testing, the BIG program is funded to provide fiber-based broadband connectivity to California's most poorly connected schools to enable digital learning opportunities for students. More specifically, the BIG program will cover the cost to provision a fiber-based broadband circuit from your school site to your local district office or County Office of Education.

To learn more about the BIG program and how to initiate the connection process, we invite you to view the On-Demand Webinars that are available on our YouTube channel, and below, you may also view and download the slide decks:

• Year 1 Slide Deck (PDF)
• Year 2 Slide Deck (PDF)
• Year 3 Slide Deck (PDF)

You are welcome to share this information with associates at your institution who may be interested in the program details.

IMPORTANT:
To begin the connection process, we ask that Year 3 (2023) participants please take a minute to complete the required survey. Identifying an individual(s) at your school site(s) who will be coordinating the installation efforts is important. Once the survey has been submitted, you can expect to receive email communication from CENIC’s Program Management Office. You may also contact bigprogram@cenic.org with any questions you or your colleagues may have.

We look forward to working with you!