A Connection That Saves Lives: How Broadband is Making Healthcare Possible in Rural Nevada County

Richard Graber and representatives from Nevada County Fiber.

For many Californians, an internet connection means convenience. For others, it means something far more critical. 

At 92 years old, Richard Graber depends on a pacemaker to support his heart. After his surgery, his care team provided him with a LATITUDE home monitoring device, a system designed to send real-time data from his pacemaker directly to his doctors. It allows healthcare providers to monitor how the device is functioning without requiring frequent in-person visits. 

But there was one problem. 

Richard had just moved to a remote area outside of Nevada City. 

When “No Signal” Becomes a Health Risk 

In his new home on Banner Mountain, basic connectivity was not guaranteed. 

There was no landline service available and the cell signal was too weak to reliably transmit medical data. Without a stable connection, Richard’s monitoring device could not send information to his healthcare team. 

That meant fewer insights into his heart health and more long drives to the doctor for routine checks. 

“I resigned myself to hoping my pacemaker was working properly,” Richard said. “What other choices did I have?”  

For rural Californians, this kind of situation is not uncommon. Limited connectivity can affect access to healthcare, safety, and peace of mind. 

A New Kind of Infrastructure 

That changed when Nevada County Fiber brought high-speed internet to his community through a project supported by the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC’s) Last Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA). 

In August 2024, the CPUC awarded Nevada County Fiber more than $6.6 million to build out broadband infrastructure in the Banner Mountain area, a rural region with hundreds of homes spread across challenging terrain. The project is designed to connect more than 200 locations using underground fiber, improving reliability in an area prone to extreme weather and wildfire risk.  

Crews installed fiber directly to homes, creating a stable, high-speed connection capable of supporting everything from daily internet use to critical services like telehealth. 

For Richard, that connection changed everything.

Drilling at the top of Banner Mountain

From Isolation to Assurance

Once connected to fiber internet, Richard was able to set up his LATITUDE device successfully.

“With NevCo Fiber… signal confirmed. Medical device connected. Data confirmed by healthcare team as received. All is well,” Richard said. 

What was once uncertainty became reassurance. His care team could now monitor his pacemaker remotely, catching potential issues early and reducing the need for frequent travel.

At 92, that peace of mind matters.

More Than Internet Access

Stories like Richard’s highlight what broadband access really means in rural communities.

It is not just about faster downloads or streaming. It is about:

Through the CPUC’s Last Mile Federal Funding Account, a $2 billion grant program for last-mile broadband infrastructure projects to connect unserved Californians, communities are seeing what becomes possible when reliable internet reaches every home.

For Richard, it meant something simple but profound - a restored sense of security.

And sometimes, that connection can make all the difference.

By Taseen Shamim, Public Information Officer