San Jose's City Council voted unanimously on Dec. 16 to adopt a refreshed Digital Empowerment and Broadband Strategy that emphasizes public-private partnerships, digital skills training, affordability programs, community tech hubs and streamlined permitting as the primary tools to close the city's digital divide.

Library Director Jill Born and staff outlined three core goals: close the digital divide through empowerment and training, ensure universal broadband availability with an aspirational 1 gigabit down target by 2030, and provide best-in-class permitting and enablement structures to speed deployment. "Our goal is universal 1 gigabit service availability for all residents by 2030," said Abigail Scholl, division manager for digital empowerment.

Staff proposed aligning policy to the Federal Communications Commission's broadband benchmark (100 Mbps down/20 Mbps up) as a current baseline while pursuing the longer-term 1Gb objective. Presentations highlighted progress since 2017, including an estimated 10,000 additional households connected and the creation of multiple tech hubs hosted by community partners.

Public comment included industry partners (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Comcast) and community-based organizations that endorsed the partnership model and urged continued investment in affordability and outreach. Several councilmembers asked about fiber adoption rates, wireless options such as C-band and microtrenching pilots, and strategies for mobile-home parks and low-income neighborhoods.

Why it matters: Digital access underpins education, health services, employment and participation in an increasingly AI-driven economy. The plan couples infrastructure goals with community-based digital literacy and device programs.

What's next: Council directed staff to implement the work plan and return with a status update in 2027; staff will continue stakeholder engagement and pursue grant opportunities and partnerships.