The City of San Diego has been honored as a 2025 Visionary Trailblazer by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) for its SD Access 4 All initiative. Visionary Trailblazer is the highest honor that NDIA awards for municipalities that are leading the way in digital inclusion innovation and have deeply integrated digital inclusion throughout their government.  

As part of the City’s commitment to closing the digital divide that leaves tens of thousands of San Diegans without internet access, San Diego Access 4 All offers numerous free services including public Wi-Fi at over 350 locations, hotspots and Chromebooks available for check out at libraries, and computer and internet skill-building classes. 

Another feature of SD Access 4 All are the Digital Navigators, technology experts who provide multilingual services, including one-on-one tech support, affordable computer offerings, low-cost home internet and connection to essential online resources. Since the inception of the Digital Navigators program, they have helped make technology more accessible for more than 10,000 San Diegans. 

“We are proud of the work that the City of San Diego and our partners have done to increase digital equity through the San Diego Access 4 All program,” said Jonathan Behnke, Director of the City’s Department of Information Technology. “We are honored to be a 2025 Visionary Trailblazer.”   

This year, San Diego joins a record number of Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, with 58 total awardees representing municipal, county and regional governments paving the way for digitally inclusive communities across the United States.

  “Nonprofits, libraries, churches and other community organizations can’t reach digital equity on their own. For everyone to thrive in today’s digital world, we need all hands on deck,” said Angela Siefer, NDIA executive director. “NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazer program exemplifies the key role of local governments in building digital opportunities for all of their residents.”  

NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers has set the national standard for excellent digital inclusion work since 2016. Each applicant’s materials are verified for accuracy, assessed for community impact, and posted in an interactive map and searchable database on NDIA’s website. By sharing materials with open-sourcing, NDIA provides community advocates and local governments ways to continue learning, connect with trailblazing peers, and plan their own digital inclusion solutions.   

Along with the SD Access 4 All Program, the City is advancing digital inclusion through the development of a Broadband Master Plan, projected for release in March 2026. The plan will assess current broadband access and provide recommendations to improve availability, affordability and adoption, with a focus on underserved communities, low-income housing, and public-serving City facilities. It will also ensure compliance with State of California broadband speed standards and position the City to effectively leverage state and federal broadband investments to expand access citywide.  

To find out more about San Diego’s Access 4 All program including a map of accessible Wi-Fi locations, visit sandiego.gov/SDAccess.