DENVER, Oct. 25,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The State of California
Department of Technology and Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) are
tackling digital inclusion head-on with a multi-billion dollar
network investment to bring equitable, high-speed fiber broadband
service to Californians.
Under the groundbreaking Broadband for All initiative, the state
awarded more than $400 million for
closing the digital divide to telecom industry disruptor Lumen,
whose global network powers connectivity for large enterprise,
governments, small businesses and homeowners alike.
Middle-mile connectivity is critical to digital inclusivity,
equity, and affordability because it bridges the gap to the
last-mile broadband providers that connect homes and businesses to
the internet. Local providers can ensure reliable high-speed
internet service, for even the most remote communities, when they
connect to major networks. Middle mile infrastructure makes this
possible.
"Lumen is incredibly proud to use our network to help the
State of California deliver
equitable broadband to all," said Lumen CEO Kate Johnson. "Digital inclusion is critical for
the United States to maintain its
leading position as a global economic and innovation powerhouse.
Bringing high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved locations
will accelerate greater and more diverse participation in our
education system, the world's digital economy, and access to
high-quality healthcare. It's great for the people of California, great for the United States, and great for Lumen
stakeholders."
This state investment will bring open-access, middle-mile
connectivity by Lumen to hundreds of California communities by the end of 2026,
paving the way for last mile readiness. Lumen is disrupting the
telecommunications industry with this innovative approach to
addressing digital inclusion. We hope to repeat it with more
public-private partnerships around the country.
Additional Resources:
- The State of California Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative is a
partnership among several organizations to create an open-access
middle-mile network to bring equitable high-speed broadband service
to all Californians.
- Learn more about how Lumen's public-private partnerships are
solving for digital inclusion:
-
https://news.lumen.com/how-partnerships-are-solving-for-digital-inclusion
- Learn more about how Lumen is supporting middle-mile
infrastructure for higher education:
-
https://blog.lumen.com/higher-education-regional-networks-help-address-the-rural-middle-mile-challenge/
- Learn more about how Lumen is supporting the public sector
here:
https://www.lumen.com/public-sector.html
About Lumen Technologies:
Lumen connects the world. We
are igniting business growth by connecting people, data, and
applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Everything we
do at Lumen takes advantage of our network strength. From metro
connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud,
security, and managed service capabilities, we meet our customers'
needs today and as they build for tomorrow. For news and insights
visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter:
@lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram:
@lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Learn more
about Lumen's public policy positions and public sector
capabilities on Twitter at @lumengov and on LinkedIn at
@lumenpublicsector.
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SOURCE Lumen Technologies