A project to expand internet access across northern San Luis Obispo County is moving forward.
The Atascadero City Council has approved a $90,000 contract to develop a plan to expand access to fast and reliable internet.
Nearly one in five Californians do not have access to reliable internet and that’s a trend mirrored across much of northern San Luis Obispo County, according to a consultant hired by the City of Atascadero.
“We do know that areas like Nacimiento or Creston or out towards the coast. There are areas that are underserved, meaning they just can’t access those speeds,” said Maria Kelly, Owner of MM Kelly Consulting.
There are pockets within the City of Atascadero where fast internet speeds are hard to come by.
“Inside the cities, it’s in the hundreds whereas outside it’s gonna be in the hundreds or potentially thousands,” explained Kelly.
Atascadero city leaders are now looking to fill those gaps by planning and identifying the underserved areas in order to meet daily internet demands.
A consultant hired by the city says that standards have changed as internet access becomes more of a necessity than a luxury.
“It is more of a part of our daily lives and our households are becoming households with multiple devices,” said Kelly. “We have computers, smart TVs, smart thermostats.”
Without fast internet-- it’s much more difficult to work from home, submit schoolwork online, or see a medical professional.
“We don’t have access to the providers that provide us with unique medical insight. We have much broader excess when you have good internet, you have better telehealth,” added Kelly
The city is entering into a contract with TeleworX which is a consulting firm based in Virginia.
They will work with the city to identify problem spots and then figure out the best way to expand internet access to those areas.
City leaders will eventually select one or more internet service providers to begin the expansion.
