High-speed internet could soon reach some of Santa Barbara County’s most rural communities, but local leaders say construction hinges on delayed state funding.
The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara, has completed engineering designs and a countywide environmental review for broadband expansion in nine underserved communities. The work was funded by a $1 million Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA)
grant awarded by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2023.
For Fred Luna, SBCAG’s director of project delivery and construction, the need for broadband became clear during the pandemic.
“During the pandemic, there was an increase in the need for reliable and good fiber connection, and it really identified areas where we were deficient as a region,” Luna said.
The completed plans cover the communities of Guadalupe, Los Alamos, Casmalia, Cuyama, Los Olivos, Jonata Park, areas east of Santa Maria, Refugio Canyon and the West Highway 246 corridor. Eight of those are located in North Santa Barbara County, where internet service is especially limited.
Luna explained that the designs focus on “last-mile” broadband: the fiber connections that deliver internet directly to homes, businesses and schools.
“Eight of those in the northern part of Santa Barbara County were designed for what we call last-mile connections, really taking fiber from main trunk lines to households and businesses,” Luna said.
These “last-mile” connections are only part of the puzzle. They depend on the state’s “middle-mile” backbone, a statewide network of high-speed fiber intended to connect rural communities to the broader internet grid. In Santa Barbara County, nearly 200 miles of middle-mile broadband are being built along Highway 1, Highway 101, Highway 166, and other corridors.
Construction of the middle-mile network is already underway and is expected to be completed by 2026.
While the designs and environmental clearances are now finished, construction of the last-mile networks cannot begin until funding is secured. The County of Santa Barbara and SBCAG submitted a competitive grant application to the state’s Last-Mile Federal Funding Account in 2023, but funding decisions have been delayed due to state budget holdups.
The $1 million grant covered design and environmental review, but construction of the broadband networks will require additional state or federal funding that is expected to cost many millions of dollars.
“The implementation to make sure that people are able to be served in their households or their businesses is really reliant on a few factors. We’ve done the preliminary work to do the last mile design, but at a statewide level, there’s an effort going on. And then we always need funding for the implementation, so we’re still seeking opportunities to fund those projects going forward,” Luna said.
For many residents, stronger internet isn’t just a convenience — it’s essential for everyday life.
Orcutt resident Hailey Laggren works and studies remotely while raising three children. With five people in her household often online at the same time, she says reliable internet is critical.
“Sometimes all five of us have our devices going at once and we seem to get strong service,” Laggren said. “I couldn’t be earning money or an education without internet connectivity.”
But for others, gaps in coverage remain a constant frustration.
“As of lately, I am in certain areas where I’m totally fine, and then all of a sudden I have no Wi-Fi,” said Sylvia Sheppard, a real estate broker in Santa Maria. “In my industry, I need to have it on all the time or else I’m not productive.”
Local officials say the project is about more than faster streaming or smoother Zoom calls. It’s about equity. Students need internet access for homework, small businesses depend on it for operations, and rural families often can’t afford existing private options even when service is available.
The broadband designs also include connections for community anchor institutions like health care facilities, emergency operation centers and libraries, ensuring that entire communities benefit from expanded service.
“SBCAG completed a countywide programmatic environmental document that is available for all our local agency partners, private internet provider to use for specific projects in communities.” Luna said.
Until then, county officials and residents remain in a holding pattern, waiting for the state to release funding that could finally bring rural Santa Barbara County into the digital age.
