Citizen Portal
Sign In

Kings County ratifies CASF affidavit to pursue $375,000 digital‑literacy grant for Kettleman City

Kings County Board of Supervisors · January 7, 2026

Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts

Sign Up Free
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The Board ratified an affidavit submitted with a California Public Utilities Commission CASF Adoption Grant application to fund digital literacy and device distribution in Kettleman City; the county applied for about $375,000 in partnership with the California Emerging Technology Fund and Kings County Library, and said formal grant agreements will return to the board if awarded.

Matthew Boyer, deputy CEO for Kings County administration, asked the board to ratify an affidavit that had been submitted with a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Adoption Grant application for Kettleman City.

Boyer said the county applied for about $375,000 to support digital literacy, training and device distribution through a partnership with the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and the Kings County Library. He said the county has two ongoing broadband infrastructure projects with AT&T in Kettleman City and Comcast in the Lamar area and needs adoption support to ensure residents can use new connections.

Boyer explained that because the affidavit referenced binding the county to CPUC CASF rules and the grant application deadline fell during the board’s holiday closure, the CEO signed the affidavit to preserve the county’s place in the competitive funding round and brought the affidavit forward for retroactive ratification.

Consultants Julie Towne and Alex Towne (Towne Consulting Group) told the board the county’s BEAD submission was sent by the CPUC to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Dec. 19 and that subgrant awards are contingent on NTIA approval. Julie Towne said Comcast was selected by the CPUC for an award of roughly $3,000,000 tied to build‑out adjacent to federal funding in the Lamar area; she also noted statewide applications from other providers, including SpaceX (satellite) and Resound (fixed wireless), and said staff are determining what those awards mean locally.

The board voted to ratify the affidavit; the clerk recorded affirmative votes and the chair announced the motion passed. Boyer said that if the county receives an award, any formal grant agreement will come back to the board for formal approval.