Childhood friends Leo Zlimen ( from left ) and Bowen Kyle graduated from UC Berkeley and then returned to Nevada City to launch Ladris Technologies , an artificial intelligence and data integration company . PHOTO BY KIAL JAMES
his work , Miles could hire someone anywhere in the world .
The cofounder of CLOSEM , Laura Betterly , lives in Florida , and the company employs one in-house developer and two full-time freelancers , who are all remote workers . But Miles still prefers to hire locally . “ It is convenient to be in the same time zone , to be able to swing by and be face-to-face from time to time ,” Miles says . “ I ’ d like to contribute to the local economy , but ‘ business first .’”
Miles has been unsuccessful in finding local talent to join his team . While he considers himself fortunate to have “ fabulous but expensive ” internet connection at his Jackson home , the same cannot be said for his prospective hires .
One local he was interested in hiring had “ spotty ” connectivity at home and would have to work at a Starbucks , which wasn ’ t a viable option .
Yet Miles knows there are many entities working on this issue . High-speed internet is increasingly essential to everyday life , emphasized by the remote work and schooling of the pandemic , and the state and federal government will soon be pouring “ buckets of money ” into broadband equity , according to Trish Kelly , managing director of Sacramento regional civic leadership organization Valley Vision .
In July , Gov . Gavin Newsom signed off on a $ 6 billion multiyear investment into expanding broadband infrastructure and improving internet access for unserved and underserved communities . In October , the governor signed two complementary bills designed to fund broadband improvements for the long term with an additional $ 1.5 billion over the next 10 years . Communities are now vying for these funds in order to connect to the expanding “ middle mile ” of fiber optic cable and are developing ways to incentivize service providers to plug in . According to Kelly , rural governments must lay the groundwork by streamlining their permitting policies in order to attract investors .
Many jurisdictions are doing just that ; and some , like the City of Placerville , are exploring the option of community-owned fiber optic
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