PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach Technology and Innovation Department, in collaboration with nine Long Beach Recovery Act community partners, is re-launching the Free Internet Services and Computing Devices Program to provide free connectivity, technology, computer literacy training and technical support services to qualified Long Beach residents, businesses and non-profits critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Getting internet services and devices into the hands of our underserved community is a critical component to ensuring digital equity here in Long Beach,” said Mayor Robert Garcia.

City staff is collaborating with nine community partners to facilitate the application process for the program and administration of more than 1,400 mobile hotspots and 1,400 Chromebooks to households, businesses, and non-profits who are disproportionately affected by the digital divide in Long Beach. The mobile hotspots come with one year of free paid internet services for residents and six months of free internet services for businesses and non-profits. Upon receiving the devices, program applicants can sign-up for free computer literacy training support services and will receive free technical support services for one year. The community partners will distribute the devices to qualified applicants based on connectivity and technology needs. The devices are being distributed to qualified applicants as part of the partnering organizations’ networks and community outreach efforts. All applicants will be required to submit proper eligibility documents as part of the application process.

This program was first launched in December 2020 as part of the City’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES Act) funding efforts. The City contracted with nine community partners through CARES Act and administered more than 1,000 free mobile hotspots and 1,500 free computing devices to residents most in need. Made possible by the City’s Long Beach Recovery Act funding efforts, in February 2022, the City issued two competitive Request for Proposals for the implementation of digital inclusion resources and services. Following the review of the proposals received and the convening of an evaluation committee, the following community partners were selected as program partners to relaunch this initiative:

• Centro CHA, Inc.
• Education Equals Opportunity Too (E O2)
• Human-I-T
• Long Beach Bar Foundation
• Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion
• Success in Challenges
• The Heart of Ida
• United Cambodian Community
• YMCA of Greater Long Beach (Community Development)

Through their participation in this program, community partners will implement digital inclusion programming activities such as:

• Distributing free hotspots and Chromebooks to residents, businesses and non-profits.
• Conducting equitable and inclusive community outreach.
• Administering multilingual in-person and virtual computer literacy training.
• Deploying bilingual technical support services.

Low-cost internet services, computer resources and free computer literacy training are also available to qualifying Long Beach residents through Human-I-T’s Connect, Equip, and Include Programs. Residents may also qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a discount of up to $30 per month towards internet services for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers such as Human-I-T if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. Long Beach residents can text “City of Long Beach” to 562.561.2565, call 888.391.7249 or visit Human-I-T's website for more information.

These activities are part of the City’s Digital Inclusion Initiative to ensure that every individual in Long Beach, regardless of background, neighborhood or identity has high-quality, accessible, technology resources and services to be civically engaged and socially and economically empowered. Earlier this year, the City was recognized as a 2022 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance for its excellent achievement in advancing digital equity and inclusion efforts in Long Beach.

For more information about the City’s Digital Inclusion Initiative and Roadmap, visit longbeach.gov/digitalinclusion.

About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health and Human Services; Parks, Recreation and Marine; Development Services; Public Works and more. The City also has a highly respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, 12 libraries, five golf courses, 169 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.