Truconnected and 35 Mile Foundation Partner to Improve Sustainable Online Access Program

We’re excited to announce the launch of a partnership with West Hollywood-based digital equity nonprofit Truconnected to provide affordable internet access to qualified K-12 students and families in the South LA, East LA, and the Northeast San Fernando Valley areas of Los Angeles.

The partnership is the result of conversations we had with Founder and President Kaye Kuye. Through our discussion, it became clear that Truconnected was overpaying for the internet services that they offer the communities they serve.

We saw an opportunity to make their affordable internet program more financially sustainable. Our collective goal is to increase the number of people they serve and work together to provide affordable internet access and devices to students and families over time — something that’s central to our digital equity philosophy. 

A Multifaceted Approach to Digital Equity

Truconnected offers an extensive suite of digital equity services — Inclusive Technology Programs, Tech Hub computer labs, and Device Disposal, Recycling, and Repurposing.

As part of their operations model, Truconnected performs computer refurbishment and computer redeployment. The organization is dedicated to bridging the digital divide by repurposing technology, expanding access to high-quality internet, and delivering digital literacy and workforce readiness programs to underserved communities. Like us, they believe that access to the internet is no longer a luxury — it is a prerequisite for education, healthcare, employment, and economic mobility.

Through their partnership with the CFL (Computers for Learning) Program, they transform donated computers into life-changing learning tools, ensuring that every student — regardless of background — has access to the technology and digital skills needed to thrive in today’s world. Their partnerships with schools in the LA region allow them to place devices directly into classrooms, literacy labs, and the hands of students who need them most.

What makes Truconnected’s work especially impactful is their long-term, holistic approach. They don’t just provide devices or temporary connectivity — they deliver complete digital access ecosystems combining refurbished computers, free internet access for up to 24 months, digital skills training, and mentorship. 

The extended access period is critical because it gives individuals and families enough time to learn, stabilize, and truly transform their lives. Access over time is an element of digital equity that we are especially passionate about. This is one of the reasons that we’re excited about our partnership with Truconnected.

“35 Mile understands that access alone isn’t enough — consistency and duration matter. Their partnership allows us to deliver one of the longest free internet tenures available, and that alignment is what makes this collaboration so powerful.”

— Kaye Kuye, Founder, Truconnected

This Partnership Fits Perfectly with Truconnected’s Mission

Truconnected already provides refurbished computers and digital literacy programs to students and families via school programs. However, without reliable, long-term internet access, those tools can’t reach their full potential. Our partnership with them allows them to close the final and most critical gap — long-term connectivity.

By offering free internet for 24 months, Truconnected ensures that:

• Students can complete entire academic cycles
• Job seekers can train, apply, and secure employment
• Families can access telehealth, public services, and economic opportunities

This partnership transforms their work from access-based support into life-changing digital infrastructure improvement.

Truconnected has a simple but urgent mission: repurpose unused technology into opportunity and ensure no community is left offline. The program that our new partnership supports represents a critical milestone in their strategy to move beyond short-term relief and into sustainable digital equity solutions that create lasting change.

Making a Digital Equity Program More Sustainable

In the US, we utilize an FCC-issued Educational Broadband Service (EBS) license to provide affordable high-quality internet access at substantially lower costs than the commercial value of comparable services. The license allows us to offer access to schools, libraries, social welfare agencies, and nonprofits. As a result, we are able to offer Truconneced substantial savings on what they were paying for service. That’s about 90-94% less per line of service! 

That savings, combined with other funding, is the key to the creation of an exciting new program. The Free Broadband Internet Access Program will offer qualified students, families, and job seekers with free internet access for up to 24 months.

The funds saved by partnering with us will be reinvested directly into mission-critical initiatives, including:

• Expanding their current internet access offering to serve more students, families, and job seekers
• Refurbishing and distributing additional internet-ready devices, such as laptops and hotspots
• Scaling digital literacy and workforce training programs
• Supporting mentorship, enrollment, and long-term community engagement

Every dollar they are saving on internet costs becomes a dollar reinvested in opportunity.

A Successful Formula for Truconnected, Students, & Families

Launching in mid-January, 2026, the Free Broadband Internet Access Program will operate under an unusual approach. When people first sign up, Truconnected will provide free internet service and hotspots to program participants for up to two years. They then transition participants to paying for affordable ongoing access and purchasing low-cost devices.

Strategically, we’re starting small — with just a few hundred lines of service. The idea is to help Truconnected scale up to about 2,000 lines as their program expands.

“What excites us most about this program is the 24-month commitment to connectivity. That length of access is rare, and it’s exactly what families need to truly bridge the digital divide — not just temporarily, but sustainably.”

— Kaye Kuye, Founder, Truconnected

As part of their operations model, Truconnected performs computer refurbishment and computer redeployment. They support students and families via school programs.

Truconnected & 35 Mile Foundation are a Natural Fit

For Truconnected, meeting their needs means starting with a six-month ramp-up period that allows them to build infrastructure and capacity, complete regulatory requirements, set up training, and launch their programs.

Truconnected’s commitment to the cause convinced us that we should work with them to help them launch their new digital access program — even though they are a small and fairly young organization. In our view, as a working e-refurbisher, Truconnected is positioned to be an excellent partner. Their operational experience and business acumen position them well for the enterprise-level complexity of launching an affordable internet program.

Plus, we like the fact that working with Truconnected adds to our network in California. It’s such a huge geographic area, and through this new partnership we're continuing to strengthen and develop productive relationships in the digital equity space across the US.

What It Takes to Provide Sustainable Internet Access

Launching an enterprise-level affordable internet access program is a lengthy and complex process. A few of the steps include:

• Setting up regulatory compliance
• Completing training on processes, rules, and regulations
• Establishing internal infrastructure and processes 
• Building operational capacity
• Updating the website and marketing materials
• Developing community outreach strategies

Many nonprofits interested in offering affordable internet access underestimate the work involved in spinning up this type of program. The team at Truconnected understood the commitment right away — indicating that they have real potential to be partners who understand what it takes to have long-term success. 

The Truconnected team has been diligent in their training and we’re excited to see the program launch and grow. More importantly, we’re eager to partner with Truconnected and support them in helping more people across the LA region step across the digital divide.

Thoughtful & Strategic Solutions

As Cassie Bair, our Vice President of Broadband Services put it, “The Truconnected model is specific to their organization, their region, and the people they serve. We like their strategic thinking — the fact that their customers aren’t starting out with financial costs right away, but are partnering with them for the long-term. They're trying to set students and families up for success around all sorts of elements of digital access.”

“And they recognize that to get folks across the digital divide, they have to give them a certain amount of time. That's really a unique situation, but one where they've paid a lot of attention to what's needed in their communities, and they have figured out how to make it work,” she added.

Looking Toward the Future

Yes, we need to help people who want to get online gain access. But we also really want to help organizations like Truconnected — that have more robust programs beyond online access — because our support makes it more sustainable for them to stay in and serve their communities. For us, this is a really big deal. We try to be strategic about the organizations we talk with and the criteria we follow for developing these partnerships. For us, launching a new partnership with an organization like Truconnected is participating in the kind of activity in the digital equity space that gets us excited and makes us feel hopeful for the future.

Check out the details of their program. We hope you’re as excited as we are to see this partnership get started, pick up steam, and grow as the Truconnected team works to change people’s lives. 

As Kaye Kuye, the Founder of Truconnected puts it, “Two years of free internet means students can complete multiple school years, job seekers can build real careers, and families can fully integrate into the digital economy. This isn’t short-term relief, it’s long-term empowerment.”