Several streetlights in the City of Angels now offer more than illumination — they offer free Wi-Fi as well.
The city of Los Angeles, in partnership with Cisco and community organizations Destination Crenshaw, the California Community Foundation and Digital Equity LA, launched a pilot program to provide free internet access across major streets, parks and public gathering spots along LA’s Crenshaw Corridor.
Years in the making, the project is designed to address Wi-Fi access gaps for residents and businesses in South LA. The LA Bureau of Street Lighting installed 1.5 miles of underground fiber optics cable across the corridor and worked with Cisco and Presidio, a technology integrator, to deploy cloud-managed outdoor access points on top of existing city-owned street lighting assets.
The new infrastructure comes as the city prepares to host several major sporting events within a span of a few years — including the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“As Los Angeles prepares to welcome the world in the years ahead, investments like this will ensure opportunity and connectivity reaches every neighborhood across the city,” LA Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
In a statement, LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson called the project an act of “digital justice.”
“Access to secure, reliable Internet is essential to full participation in democracy,” Harris-Dawson said. “This initiative is a blueprint for other cities showing what is possible when government, nonprofits, and the private sector work together – guided by the community.”
A 2024 study from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation cited BSL data that found 15% of Angelenos live in a household without a broadband subscription, a digital divide that disproportionately affects low-income households and individuals who identify as Black or Latino.
“As Los Angeles prepares to host multiple major events, piloting the city’s first free community Wi-Fi network along Crenshaw Boulevard will fuel economic opportunity for our artists and small business owners,” stated Jason Foster of Destination Crenshaw, a nonprofit champion of Black artists and art in LA. “This is a model for how neighborhoods across LA can continue to address digital inequity in partnership with city leadership and Cisco.”
Neighborhoods with access to the community Wi-Fi include Crenshaw Corridor, Hyde Park, Park Mesa and Leimert Park.
