The Fresno County Democratic Central Committee has not endorsed any candidate in this race.
| On my Summer Road Trip, I have been fortunate to visit many incredible parts of our great state and meet hundreds of amazing people. But throughout my travels, there’s one issue that has been raised almost everywhere I’ve been: the demand for high-speed internet access!
In every rural community I’ve visited — from Siskiyou to Inyo, and Humboldt to Kern — folks have gone out of their way to tell me how much the lack of broadband impacts them. They talk about this as an issue of economic opportunity, access to information, educational opportunities, and even health care. As Lt. Governor, I pledge to work to expand access to broadband internet to every corner of our great state. According to the 2017 California Broadband Adoption survey, a full 30% of Californians lack broadband at home, and in rural areas, that number is much higher. According to Jessica, a U.S. Census Bureau partnership specialist I met in Humboldt County, broadband access is so important that it is a demographic data point they are tracking as well. As a mom of two teenage boys, I’m often trying to get my kids to turn off their devices. But I know that broadband is necessary for students to compete and excel in school. It is necessary to keep people informed and able to access information for safety and security purposes. It helps connect people with the world around them and the government that serves them. With the growing use of telemedicine and digital medical records, broadband is essential for health care in rural and urban communities alike. Broadband is also essential for economic success. Broadband deployment and adoption programs are one of the easiest and best policy measures that can be undertaken to boost the economy. Recent studies show that those measures increase employment and job stability, speed job searches, improve the economy of local communities, and increase the state’s GDP. As Lt. Governor, I will work hand in hand with the state’s leading broadband experts, the California Broadband Council, the California Emerging Technology Fund, and the UC Riverside Center for Broadband Policy to make sure every person in every corner of California is connected to the internet and has the skills necessary to be able to fully participate in the 21st century economy. Add your name today in support of broadband internet access for all Californians. Jobs and economic development is one of the cornerstones of my campaign and my top policy priority, and broadband deployment will be a very significant part of those efforts. Thank you for being a part of this campaign. Yours,
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