LAKEPORT, Calif. – A planning meeting for the effort to expand broadband in Lake County will take place this Wednesday, April 4.

The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors' chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

High-speed Internet access is a vital component for economic growth.

Today, many rural areas of California, including many parts of Lake County, are vastly unserved or underserved when it comes to broadband access.

CSU Chico’s Center for Economic Development and the Corporation for Education Network Initiative in California are leading the effort to create a broadband plan for each of the counties in the Upstate California Connect Consortium, which include Lake, Sonoma, Colusa and Glenn.

Once the plan is created, the goal is to then connect these individual county plans into a regional plan that will then provide the basis needed to access grant funding for regional broadband projects.

Funding for this project is provided through a broadband planning grant from the California Public Utilities Commission.

Agenda items for Wednesday's meeting include updates on infrastructure, technical planning, priorities and timelines.

Community members are invited to join in the continued effort to improve broadband access throughout Lake County by assisting in the development of Lake County’s Broadband Plan.

Here are three ways to get involved:

• Take the Lake County broadband survey – www.lakecountybroadband.org – and encourage your friends, colleagues, and neighbors to take the survey.
• Join the Lake County Broadband Alliance.
• Participate in the Lake County Broadband Planning meetings.