By Dr. Michael Lizárraga
Ask around. In Montebello, students chase working WiFi to upload homework. In Carson, older adults lose telehealth slots when a video stalls. Card readers freeze during the Saturday rush at small businesses in the San Fernando Valley. That’s the cost of a network that doesn’t reach the people who power these communities every day.
State leaders have within their grasp a unique opportunity to secure accessible, affordable and reliable connectivity that many families have desperately needed for years. This can happen through approval of the Verizon-Frontier transaction.
This deal isn’t about favoring any single company; it’s about finally delivering on promises made to families in communities that organizations like TELACU have been working to empower for decades. Families know what it feels like to be left behind when their connections fail at the moments that matter most. They need dependable internet for work, school and health care.
Verizon actively sought out partnerships with consumer advocates, workers and advocates for universal broadband access to ensure the Verizon–Frontier transaction benefits all the communities the companies serve across California. In agreements jointly announced with the CPUC’s Public Advocates Office, Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 9 and the California Emerging Technology Fund, Verizon set clear commitments: more homes connected, stronger and wider coverage, fair prices and good local jobs. These aren’t empty promises. They are tangible, measurable improvements, visible in every neighborhood, felt by every family.
It is vital that communities have access, and Verizon is delivering it. The company will bring fiber to 75,000 households and add 250 new 5G macro sites in neighborhoods that have waited the longest. For the thousands of TELACU high school and college scholars living in low-coverage areas, it means homework submitted on time in the safety of their home, not in a parking lot searching for a signal. For their parents, it means their children won’t be cut off from opportunity simply because of a weak or unreliable signal.
For the thousands of low-income senior citizens TELACU and other community-based organizations house in safe, affordable communities, it means being able to rely on stable internet for telehealth appointments and to stay connected with loved ones. When broadband falters, care and connection suffer. When it works, dignity thrives: doctor’s visits online, family video calls, and daily life are managed with ease. Investments like these meet people where they live and give them the tools to thrive.
Moreover, increased affordability will bring some relief to the household budget. Reliability isn’t a luxury. Verizon’s discount program will run for a decade with $20 per month options for eligible low-income households. In East Los Angeles, twenty dollars is the difference between staying online or falling behind. This price point keeps the modem on and ensures families can plan around a stable, predictable cost instead of worrying about whether they can stay connected from month to month. The agreements make clear that reliability is not an add-on—it is part of the core commitment.
Workers and Main Street benefit, too. The agreements add 600 new CWA-represented positions in California over six years and guarantee four years with no involuntary layoffs. That means apprenticeships, steady paychecks and careers people can build a family around, often in the same ZIP codes now receiving upgrades. A $500 million investment from Verizon’s recently announced $5 billion Small Business Supplier Accelerator program will directly benefit California small businesses. In Norwalk, this translates to fewer outages, faster online orders and the ability to hire more local talent.
This fits California’s “Broadband for All” vision, but more importantly it fits what families keep asking: Will it reach my street? Can we afford it? With these commitments, the answer is yes. Will this transaction solve everything overnight? No. But it transforms promises into measurable deliverables resulting in connections for tens of thousands of households.
California leads when progress positively impacts everyone. It’s time for state leaders to expedite the Verizon–Frontier transaction and unleash progress where it’s most needed…in the heart of our communities.
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Dr. Michael Lizárraga is President and Chief Executive Officer of TELACU, the nation’s largest and oldest Community Development Corporation, headquartered in California.
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