Investing in Connection and Community Across California

Marc Blakeman, President, AT&T California and Pacific States
May 13, 2024
Community Impact


Investing in Connection and Community Across California

Investing in our Communities 

In California, we invested nearly $14.4 billion in our network infrastructure from 2019-2023 to connect more people to greater possibility.

Cities and communities throughout California are seeing the impacts of this investment, including:

  • More than $4.1 billion in the greater Los Angeles Region (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim) 
  • More than $2 billion in the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley) 
  • Nearly $1.1 billion in San Diego County (San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad) 
  • More than $1 billion in the Sacramento Valley region (Sacramento, Chico, Redding) 
  • More than $850 million in the Central Valley region (Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton) 
  • Nearly $175 million along the Central Coast (Monterey, Salinas, Watsonville) 
  • Nearly $225 million in the Northern Coast region (Ukiah, Petaluma, Santa Rosa) 

We understand how a connection can make the difference. That’s why our mission is to bring connectivity to everyone, no matter where they live or where they come from. We’re working to not only boost network reliability and capacity but also expand broadband nationwide to help bridge the digital divide. 

We are committed to expanding connectivity and keeping our California customers, first responders and communities connected through investing in our modern, high-speed networks. Our investment focuses on all facets of the network —including fiber, 5G and FirstNet®, Built with AT&T. 

  • Expanding Access to Fiber: To help meet the demands for reliable, high-speed connections today – and in the future – we’re investing in our fiber network. With more than 10.6 million fiber miles in California, AT&T Fiber® is now available to more than 3.1 million customer locations in rural communities and urban areas.  
    • With nearly 87 million fiber strand miles in 21 states, AT&T Fiber® now passes 26M+ locations in more than 100 metros. 
    • AT&T Fiber provides speed, reliability and value for consumers and businesses to enhance their internet experience for applications like video conferencing, virtual learning, telehealth, gaming and more. 
    • When public entities team up with trusted providers, more Americans are connected to greater opportunity. In California, we’ve collaborated with localities to bring AT&T Fiber to more corners of the state. 
      • In rural Mendocino County, we recently announced that we expanded our superfast fiber network to more than 196 residential and small business customer locations in Comptche. 
      • In January, we announced new availability of AT&T Fiber to hundreds of customer locations in Mountain View. These new locations were in addition to the more than 16,000 customer locations throughout Mountain View that already had access to AT&T Fiber. 
      • In 2023, the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians announced a new project with AT&T that will bring AT&T Fiber to 500 residential and small business locations on their Tribal land.  
      • In San Francisco, we deployed AT&T Fiber, delivering speeds up to 5-Gigs1, to Japan Center Malls, including East, West and Kinokuniya Buildings in Japantown. 
      • In 2022, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians announced plans to work with AT&T to build broadband service to more than 400 homes on Rincon Tribal land. 
  • Unlocking the Power of 5G: From rural communities to urban areas, our overall wireless voice and data network covers more than 99% of all Americans, including California. Our 5G network today reaches more than 295 million people in more than 24,500 cities and towns across the U.S. with our mid-band spectrum available nationwide, covering more than 210 million people.  
    • We’re working with businesses from manufacturing to healthcare to create new innovations and increase efficiencies with AT&T 5G. 
    • We’re ramping up performance in high traffic areas, like airports, stadiums and venues, including Chase Center and Oracle Park in San Francisco, SAP Center in San Jose, SoFi Stadium, LA Convention Center, Dodger Stadium and LAX in Los Angeles and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. 
    • For less densely populated areas like Yuba City, Salinas, and Bakersfield, we’re expanding our 5G network so people there can have access to reliable connectivity. 
  • Giving First Responders the Reliable Connectivity they Need: As America’s public safety communication partner, we are expanding and enhancing FirstNet to give the public safety community better access to their network. Setting the stage for first responder innovation over the next 10 years, the FirstNet Authority announced a series of strategic investments totaling more than $8 billion into FirstNet. The latest network investment of $6.3 billion will enable AT&T to deliver a standalone FirstNet 5G core, provide always-on priority and preemption across all AT&T 5G commercial spectrum bands and build 1,000 new FirstNet sites across the country over the next two years.  
    • In California, we’re connecting public safety agencies and organizations in nearly 580 cities across the state, including Big Sur, Clovis, East Palo Alto, Frazier Park, Fresno, Gilroy, Isleton, Lemoore, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Reedley, Sacramento, San Jose, Sonora and Truckee.  
    • We’ve rolled out Band 14 on nearly 6,000 sites across California to provide public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need it. 

And we’re not just investing in our network, we’re also investing in our communities. AT&T recently announced it’s committing an additional $3 billion by 2030 to help close the digital divide, bringing the company’s total commitment to $5 billion since 2021. 

  • To help bridge the divide in California, AT&T has provided more than 22,000 free devices and laptops to students, older adults and families in need since 2021. We’ve teamed up with community-based organizations across the state to identify those individuals who need connectivity to pursue education, access telehealth services, employment opportunities, and access vital services. 
  • Similarly, our philanthropic funding areas support digital inclusion, literacy, learning and employment solutions that help connect today’s learners with skills, resources and opportunities for success in school and in life. From 2021-2023, we contributed $6.7 million to digital divide causes in California.Read more. 

Good news is always great to share. Here are a few highlights from the last year in California: 

  • April 2024 | Since opening in February 2023, the AT&T Connected Learning Center on the  Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians tribal land, students have access to the internet and computers in ways that most college students take for granted. The center at Rincon gives Javier and Toko, two college students from Rincon, access to vital learning resources close to home, enabling them to pursue educational opportunities that were previously out of reach. Learn more. 
  • January 2024 |To remain a technology leader, California regulators should establish a pathway that allows AT&T to better meet consumer demands and transition away from outdated, copper-based networks that no longer meet those needs. Learn more. 
  • December 2023  | In 2023, we travelled around California working together to connect more Californians to broadband and other digital resources needed to succeed in today’s digital world. Learn more. 
  • October 2023 | For California’s Tribal communities, connectivity matters now more than ever. Much like we are here, Tribal community leaders are also working to bridge the digital divide in their communities. And one way they’re making that happen is through collaboration with broadband providers, like AT&T. Learn more. 

To keep up with all the latest updates from AT&T California, follow us on Twitter @ATTPublicPolicy and @ATTPolicyCA, and on LinkedIn.

 

1Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. Single device wired speed maximum 4.7Gbps. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.   

*FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. 

*About AT&T  

We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.  

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