$104 million fiber optic network project launches in Southeast Los Angeles County

Photo courtesy Gateway Cities Council of Governments

COMPTON — A groundbreaking effort to bridge the digital divide in Southeast Los Angeles County officially launched Wednesday with the start of construction on the Gateway Cities Fiber Optic Network, a $104 million broadband infrastructure project set to deliver high-speed internet access to 24 underserved cities.

Local leaders and state officials gathered in Compton to celebrate the ambitious initiative, which aims to connect every city hall in the region with dual-path fiber optic cable for redundancy, while also reaching 4,200 underserved locations with robust and competitively priced internet services.

“Low-income communities are behind technologically – and business as usual has left communities in several areas of California with a digital divide,” said Vilma Cuellar-Stallings, President of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (COG). “We are grateful that CDT and the CPUC worked with the cities in Southeast Los Angeles County to narrow our digital divide.”

The project is being funded through a combination of grants from the California Department of Technology’s Middle Mile Broadband Initiative and the California Public Utilities Commission’s Last Mile Federal Funding Account. The Gateway Cities COG emphasized that the network comes at no direct cost to local governments.

Construction of the 125-mile fiber network begins in Compton and surrounding cities and will roll out in five phases, with completion expected by December 2026. Once operational, the network will enable city halls to serve residents and businesses with enhanced digital services, and support “smart city” infrastructure including synchronized traffic systems, utility grids, and real-time parking data.

“This project redefines how cities connect and collaborate,” said Compton Mayor Emma Sharif. “By providing equitable access to high-speed internet, we are paving the way for economic development, enhanced municipal services, telehealth, telework, and opportunities for distance learning.”

State Senator Lena Gonzalez, who authored Senate Bill 4 — known as “Broadband for All” — praised the effort as a major step toward digital equity.

“Students, patients, workers, and businesses in 24 cities will have reliable access to all the resources that the internet can provide,” Gonzalez said. “California has taken major steps toward digital equity with this project.”

The $104 million investment is the largest in the Gateway Cities COG’s history, surpassing a $24 million clean trucks initiative completed over two decades ago.