For years, Liz Romero of Chula Vista would drive her kids to a library or a friends’ house to connect to the internet to study.
The mobile home park where they live had been a broadband “dead zone” for more than two decades, with little to no service options. That was until 2022, when a small private company called Kwikbit started serving the neighborhood.
“My kids grew up with no internet. It was just terrible,” Romero said. During the pandemic, they even tried using a school-issued mobile hotspot, but it never worked properly.
Now, Romero and her neighbors pay $50 a month for high-speed fixed wireless service through Kwikbit that allows her and her family to work from home and stream video on multiple devices at the same time. She also works as an ambassador for the company and helps enroll new customers at the park.
“For me, it’s perfect,” she said. “I’m very pleased. If it didn’t work for me, I wouldn’t tell [my neighbors] to get it.”
Kwikbit has a unique business model: to bring internet service to trailer and mobile home parks. It recently won an $800,000 state grant to serve four parks in Southern California, including one in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The funding will be used to connect 197 households to high-speed fixed wireless service for $50 a month. There’s no contract and prices are guaranteed for three years.
“Between 20 to 25 million people live in mobile parks. And in general, their internet is terrible,” said company CEO Joe Costello.
Kwikbit offers high-speed fixed wireless service for $50 a month.
He says providers tend to overlook mobile home parks because their residents are typically low-income and can’t pay as much as other neighborhoods. It can also be difficult to connect these communities because they are privately owned, and management tends to be skeptical of “outsiders” coming in to install equipment and speak with residents.
“The key is to get great internet [service] to as many people as possible, but in particular, get it to the people who have lousy internet. Those are the people who are suffering today,” he said, adding that reliable broadband access is “absolutely imperative” to modern life in the U.S.
Costello said Kwikbit has been working to expand its services to 15 parks in SoCal. That includes at least two locations in L.A. County, one in the Canoga Park neighborhood and one in Rowland Heights. The company offers a new fixed wireless technology that Costello says it’s as fast as fiber, but can be deployed more quickly and economically.
Here are the four mobile home parks that would be funded through the grant money Kwikbit just won from the state. Service could be available by the end of 2024.
Orange County: Buena Villa Mobile Home Estates is in Buena Park and contains 171 homes. Total project cost: $230,329.
L.A. County: Cherryfield Village is in Paramount and contains 119 homes. The property is a about 1,200 feet long and 300 feet wide, located on flat land north of Long Beach. Total project cost: $159,460.
San Bernardino County: Country Squires Estates is in Moreno Valley and contains 107 homes. Total project cost: $317,098.
San Diego County: Hide Away Lake Mobile Estates is in Valley Center and contains 130 homes. Total project cost: $182,196.
How is your community experiencing the digital divide?
It can be difficult to navigate life in Los Angeles without a smartphone or access to a strong Wi-Fi connection. But there are thousands in LA who don’t have that basic technology.
Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
