News Update

California bill would revamp state broadband funding as distance learning continues

A bill introduced today by state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, could update the state’s existing broadband funding system.

The bill, which has been dubbed the Broadband for All Act, would update requirements for communities to apply for grants, finance their own internet infrastructure and increase deployment speeds to at least 100mbps.

The bill would also remove a sunset on the existing broadband law, AB 1665, which allows the California Public Utilities Commission to collect $330 million through 2022 to fund broadband through the California Advanced Services Fund. It would also create a Broadband Bond Financing Securitization Account to fund ongoing costs for broadband infrastructure.

The announcement comes as schools across California continue with distance learning, even though hundreds of thousands of students are expected to be without a stable internet connection, according to a recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

“High-speed broadband is a right for all Californians, just as we all have a right to telephone service and electricity,” said David Griffith, District 5 supervisor for the Alpine County Board of Supervisors. “We who live in areas that have no broadband or inadequate broadband are Californians, too.”

During the 2020 legislative session, two bills — SB 1130 and AB 570 — similarly aimed to reform broadband funding and increase internet access but failed to pass. Both bills were introduced before the pandemic caused schools and businesses to switch to online settings to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“From the standpoints of kids families and schools in California, broadband for all is a complete no-brainer,” said Jim Steyer, president of the children’s media nonprofit Common Sense Media, which is co-sponsoring the bill. “You have to have broadband access to be a citizen in California or any part of the world today, and we need to provide this for everyone in California, particularly our kids who are going to school over the internet.”