Press Releases
City of Gonzales Extends Partnership with T-Mobile for Hotspot Program
Residents will be able to keep the high speed internet devices they received in 2020 for two more years
On June 6th the Gonzales City Council approved the City Manager to sign a two year extension to the private/public partnership agreement with T-Mobile for the Hotspot Program, a contract that was scheduled to end on June 30, 2022.
In late 2019 the city launched the Internet for All initiative, a private/public partnership agreement with T-Mobile to provide enough wireless hotspots to equip every student and family that needed a high speed wireless device at home. The city received 2,000 wireless hotspots and began distributing the devices to Gonzales residents in early 2020. Just under 1,800 devices were distributed. Through this unique partnership with T-Mobile, Gonzales was the first city on the Central Coast to provide basic level broadband service to all households.
"The Hotspot Program has been a huge success and extending the agreement with T-Mobile for two more years is critical. This innovative solution to providing our families and students connectivity allowed us to address the digital divide in a way that had not been done before. Two more years will allow us time to work with the recently formed South Salinas Valley Broadband JPA to implement a Community Broadband Network that will provide a permanent solution for affordable internet access for our residents," said Rene Mendez, Gonzales City Manager.
The City of Gonzales adopted a Broadband Infrastructure Strategy in 2017 and its core goal was to provide basic and reliable internet service to every household in Gonzales. The partnership with T-Mobile helped the city achieve this goal and forming the South Salinas Valley Broadband Authority is an important next step to permanently end the digital divide in Gonzales and the rest of South County.
For more information contact the City of Gonzales at 675-5700.
About City of Gonzales
The city of Gonzales, California is located in Monterey County. The quaint and culturally diverse community of approximately 9,000 people is in the heart of the Salinas Valley’s agricultural and wine region. Gonzales is an established regional leader in agricultural-technology and innovation, environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Gonzales is home to companies such as HealthySoil, which manufactures products to improve agricultural crop production; Converted Organics, a natural fertilizer company; Taylor Farms, a fresh vegetable production facility, Mann Packing/Del Monte Fresh, a leading supplier of fresh cut vegetables; Ramsay Highlander, an innovator, designer and manufacturer of technologically-advanced harvesting equipment; Papé Equipment Handling, Braga Fresh, Green Valley Farm Supply, Tessemae’s, American Bioscience, Caraccioli Cellars, and Constellation Brands, an international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits.