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San Francisco to accept nearly $8 million federal BTOP grant to expand digital inclusion
Summary
The Budget & Finance Subcommittee voted to forward an ordinance accepting a $7.93 million Department of Commerce BTOP grant to fund sustainable broadband adoption, add temporary grant-funded staff and finance community-based training and digital media programs.
San Francisco’s Budget & Finance Subcommittee advanced an ordinance authorizing the Department of Technology to accept $7,931,632 from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunity Program and to add temporary grant-funded positions to the city payroll.
Chair Carmen Chu and staff said the award will fund a sustainable broadband adoption program intended to expand home adoption and community training. Department of Technology representatives said the grant will be administered largely through contracts with nonprofit organizations and that the city will add two administrative positions in the Department of Technology and four positions tied to SFGTV to support digital-media training and workforce opportunities.
DT Deputy Barry Frazier told supervisors the department will develop grant agreements, monitor partner performance, process invoices and meet reporting requirements imposed by the Department of Commerce. The department said it will work primarily through community partners to deliver training and access, with SFGTV helping to produce digital-media curriculum and training placements for youth.
Supervisors pressed staff for more granular metrics and a clear plan for community impact. Department representatives said some partner-level metrics are under development and committed to providing written documentation of expected outcomes and to sharing the quarterly NTIA reports the city must file. DT also gave targets tied to federal program goals: its initial projection for the award included a goal of 5,373 additional home subscribers, 63 new institutional subscribers and more than 25,000 users in computer centers.
Members asked that the department report back at regular intervals — every six to 12 months — to show how grant dollars are distributed, how many residents and organizations are served, and how outcomes relate to city inclusion goals. DT said the grant-funded positions are limited-term, tied to the three-year ARRA funding period, and will end when federal funding ends.
Public comment included concerns about public-access channel contracts and oversight; no speakers opposed the grant itself. With those caveats, the subcommittee moved the item forward with a recommendation to the full Board of Supervisors.
The ordinance will appear on the Board’s agenda for further action and the Department of Technology said it will return with written metrics and quarterly reports to ensure accountability.
