California lawmakers strike agreement on broadband budget bill

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers on Monday announced their plans for how to spend the $6 billion that California is allocating towards broadband in the 2021-22 budget.

Included in the broadband blueprint are plans to expand the state’s internet infrastructure with a particular focus on areas that have historically been unserved or underserved by private internet service providers. Specifically, the bill directs $3.25 billion to build middle-mile broadband lines, which connect the greater highway of broadband service to the last mile, which are end-users.

The bill also sets aside $2 billion for “last-mile” lines in rural and urban areas to connect consumers’ homes and businesses with local networks.

Other directives in the bill include:

• More vital accountability and legislative oversight;
• Creating a “broadband czar” and nine-member council within the California Department of Technology;
• Hiring a third party to build and maintain the “middle-mile network” — high-capacity fiber lines that carry large amounts of data at higher speeds over longer distances between local networks.

“This broadband package is historic,” Newsom said on Monday in a prepared statement. “It transcends politics, and it will be a legacy project that will benefit generations of rural and urban residents alike. This legislation will yield vital, broadened access for California families by prioritizing the unserved and underserved areas, facilities, households, and businesses that remain disconnected in the digital era.”

The plans are detailed in AB 156, known as the broadband trailer bill, and it elaborates on directives and policies laid out in the 2021-22 state budget. AB 156 must be approved by the full Legislature and then signed by the governor.