LA DEAL is committed to ensuring that every resident, business, and community in Los Angeles County has access to affordable, high-speed internet, essential digital tools, and the skills to thrive.
The Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) Consortium is a collaborative, community-driven process to assess and tackle the broadband gaps that exist in both urban and rural communities across the Los Angeles region.
We are the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved and funded Regional Broadband Consortium for Los Angeles County.
LA DEAL seeks to address broadband access in a systemic and equitable way. We work to include true community representation and develop a strong infrastructure of civic leaders representing business, education, nonprofits, and government, so that underserved and disadvantaged people have equal access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet service, and the devices and training to optimize their use.
We close the digital divide by advocating for equitable broadband infrastructure, fostering public-private partnerships, supporting community-driven solutions, and advancing policies that promote digital inclusion and economic opportunity.
We envision a digitally inclusive Los Angeles where every resident—regardless of income, geography, or background—has access to high-speed internet, essential devices, and digital literacy skills to fully participate in education, the economy, healthcare, and civic life. LA DEAL aims to establish a sustainable broadband ecosystem that supports community broadband networks, municipal partnerships, and digital equity initiatives to ensure long-term connectivity solutions.
The Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL)’s mission is to close the digital divide in Los Angeles County. We strive to achieve this through a collaborative, community-driven process to assess and tackle the broadband gaps in both urban and rural communities across the Los Angeles region.
LA DEAL is the LA County regional broadband consortium for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Our consortium, composed of over 300 local, regional, state, and national partners, promotes community representation and the support of civic leaders representing business, education, nonprofits, and government in the development of robust broadband infrastructure for underserved and underserved communities in LA County.
LA DEAL is co-sponsored by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and UNITE-LA, and emerged out of The Angeleno Project and its 2022 Policy Blueprint to close the digital divide through unmet needs in broadband infrastructure.
Davis Park
Senior Director, LAEDC
Davis has over 25 years of management and partnership development experience in technology program design, testing, and deployment among older adult, low-income, and other underserved communities. Prior to LAEDC, Davis was the Vice President of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing, where he developed and managed the Center’s initiatives and programs to explore innovative uses of technology to help people thrive, especially as they aged. He was also the director of Community Technology Programs at the Little Tokyo Service Center, where he managed several community-based initiatives that focused on bridging the digital divide.
Davis is also an inaugural member of the Zero Divide ZFellows, a program developed to promote technology adoption and social justice in underserved communities. He currently serves on the American Society on Aging board, the San Francisco Tech Council advisory board, and the Los Angeles Alliance for Community Health and Aging digital inclusion subcommittee. Davis holds a BA in anthropology from UC Berkeley, and an MA from UCLA’s Urban Planning Program.
Joel Martin
Community Broadband Manager, LAEDC
As the Community Broadband Manager for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), Joel supports program administration, operations, and strategic alignment. He plays a key role in the development and implementation of the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) regional broadband consortium and related digital equity initiatives. Joel has a proven track record in advancing equity initiatives and managing diverse stakeholder engagement to drive systemic change and community empowerment.
Previously, Joel was a Program Manager at CA Fwd, where he led policy and community projects to promote economic equity across California. He has extensive experience in managing non-profit community engagement and educational programs, particularly in youth and family services. Joel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University of Northridge.
Amy Cortina
Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, UNITE-LA
Amy Cortina, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, joined UNITE-LA in 2014. Cortina advances UNITE-LA’s mission by identifying, cultivating and developing opportunities that expand the organization’s resources and partnerships.
Prior to joining UNITE-LA, Cortina took a development job at a prestigious independent school in Washington, D.C., where she witnessed what high-quality, anti-racist education looked like. It was there that Cortina knew she wanted every person, no matter his or her socio-economic status, to have the same high-quality education and career opportunities.
After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Cortina served with the Peace Corps where she found her passion for engaging in international development. This led her to the University of California, San Diego where she obtained her Master of International Affairs degree.
Outside of work, Cortina is the mom to three boys, who are full of energy and remind her of why her work is important. Beyond being a mom, she tries to stay active by riding her road bike, hiking, running and joining adult soccer leagues.
