Media Coverage
LAist
Why six southeast L.A. cities are calling out internet providers for ‘digital discrimination’
Cristal Mojica of the Michelson Center for Public Policy and the California Digital Equity Alliance said the state should consider other legal remedies and pass a bill to address the issue instead of "putting all of those cities that have more limited resources through that process.” She said community groups have a lot of “myth busting” to do to reach lawmakers who are maybe newer to digital equity and discrimination issues. “It's very much on their radar and they're gonna pour industry money as much as they can to try to stop it,” Mojica said, adding that advocates will continue to champion the issue and prepare to pick up the fight again in 2025.
EdSource
We must champion our student parents
Queena Hoang, MCPP, authored an op-ed spotlighting the challenges faced by student parents and touting California’s proposed GAINS for Student Parents Act (AB 2458), which seeks to better support this demographic by adjusting cost considerations for childcare and improving data collection. The piece features Larry, a father of nine and recent graduate from CSU Bakersfield, whose journey exemplifies the formidable challenges and systemic changes needed to support student parents.
Broadband Breakfast
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Proposes $2 Billion Cut In Broadband Projects
“We are disappointed to see this rollback,” Cristal Mojica of the Michelson Center for Public Policy, told LAist. Advocates for digital equity said the decision may compromise attempts to reach some of the most marginalized communities in the community. In Los Angeles County, where about 200,000 homes lack internet access, the groups said. Mojica added that the rollback may prevent providers from reaching the, “highest areas of need.”
LAist
Newsom’s Budget Cuts Deliver Massive Blow For Efforts To Expand Internet In LA
The move outraged digital equity advocates in Los Angeles who say it could jeopardize efforts to reach some of the most vulnerable groups in the area. About 200,000 L.A. County households don’t have internet. “We are disappointed to see this rollback,” said Cristal Mojica of the Michelson Center for Public Policy. The group is a member of the California Digital Equity Alliance.
LAist
Millions Have Been Set Aside To Get More People Online. Private Companies Want To Use It For LA's Wealthy Neighborhoods
The money was intended as a “once in a lifetime” cash infusion into disadvantaged communities, says Cristal Mojica of the Michelson Center for Public Policy. But now she says there’s growing concern it will be used to maintain the status quo. One problem she points to is maps developed by the state for its Broadband For All plan, saying that there's a "huge disparity" between where the state has identified broadband needs and where the need actually is.