Placer County awards Astound Broadband $1.1 million broadband grant

Published on Sept. 15, 2022 

The Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday awarded Astound Broadband a $1,117,097 Broadband Grant to expand high-speed internet service to 638 residences and businesses in the community of Penryn.

“Delivering high-speed internet access to households and businesses in underserved rural areas of the county is critical for emergency communication, economic development and necessary for daily life,” said District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes. “We are very pleased to see that our Penryn community is on the way to receiving fast, reliable and affordable internet service.”

The focus of the Placer County Broadband Grant program is to provide resources to new and existing internet service providers to invest in expanding broadband access to support economic development, public safety, remote learning, telehealth services and overall community prosperity in Placer County. The county continues to seek funding opportunities for rural broadband programs at the federal and state levels with the intent to deploy new grant opportunities for broadband infrastructure improvements in the future.

Additionally, Placer will continue to advocate for improved broadband service through participation in Golden State Connect Authority, a joint powers authority formed by Rural County Representatives of California for the purpose of expanding broadband access and quality in rural counties. GSCA will be governed by a delegate supervisor from each of its member rural counties.

In October 2021 the Placer County Board of Supervisors awarded Astound Broadband, previously Wave Broadband, a $500,000 Broadband Grant to expand high-speed internet service to approximately 1,500 residences in Auburn, North Auburn and Penryn.

More information can be found at placer.ca.gov/broadband.