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PRESS RELEASE. From Cruzio on October 21st, 2025 from the Cruzio Blog.
Cruzio is proud to announce — and celebrate — the completion of our Equal Access Summits to the Sea (EAS2C) project.
In the short span of 18 months, Cruzio built out a California State grant-funded network that will reach
thousands of residents from Half Moon Bay to Salinas. The network provides high-speed internet
comparable to the best found in big cities like LA and San Francisco.
EAS2C was launched with a $5.65 million grant unanimously approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in February 2024. The project delivers high-speed internet to residents in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Monterey counties who lack access to reliable broadband. The network builds on Cruzio’s existing infrastructure, providing speed and reliability similar to fiber at a fraction of the cost.
Previously, EAS2C locations had extremely poor quality internet, preventing residents from fully
participating in the modern world in many ways. Cruzio and the California Public Utilities Commission,
who funded the grant, were especially concerned about elderly people accessing health care and
social services; children accessing educational resources and remote learning; residents of fire-prone
areas who need to stay informed of warnings and evacuations; and home-businesses and agricultural
sites, which contribute so much to our local economy.
“Our region has a problem.” James Hackett, COO at Cruzio, explained. “We’ve got rural communities, farmers, low-income communities, then just a hop away we’ve got Silicon Valley. It’s quite the gap. The digital divide is real, making life harder for folks. The Summits to the Sea project is working to level the playing field and give everyone a fair shot.”
The network, building upon Cruzio’s existing fiber-backed infrastructure, makes use of Tarana fixed
wireless gear which provides speed and reliability similar to fiber at a fraction of the cost.
Support came from many local elected officials, including Representative Jimmy Panetta, State
Senator Josh Becker, State Assemblymen Robert Rivas and Gail Pellerin, and many others. They
recognized and responded to the needs of their constituents to help make it happen.
The benefits to our community go beyond just new infrastructure. Cruzio is staffed exclusively with
locally hired employees who are trained through a home-grown apprentice program, providing not just
jobs but careers. Our local vendors include John Hope Electric and the Santa Cruz Community Credit
Union, whose expertise we relied on to build a robust and reliable project on time and under budget.
For information about internet availability in your area, please check the website faster.cruzio.com.
To celebrate, Cruzio is hosting an event with our partners, many of them listed above, who were part
of this effort. We’ll have food and a chance to meet and talk with local officials, including Member of
Congress Jimmy Panetta and CPUC Commissioner Houck.
Event Details: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM at the Audrey Stanley Grove
(Santa Cruz Shakespeare site), 501 Upper Park Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95065.
To attend the event, please RSVP here or email marketstaff@cruzio.com.
More on Cruzio on Coastside Buzz
Cruzio Got a $5.65M Grant for their “Summits to the Sea” Proposal ~ What That Means for Us;
Author: mdrag
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