RCRC, as part of the California Alliance for Digital Equity (CADE), has taken an Oppose Unless Amended position on Assembly Bill 662, which would create requirements for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in implementing the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Authored by Assembly Member and Chair of the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee, Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas), this measure creates a framework for the BEAD program that would have direct impact on local jurisdictions utilizing BEAD funding for broadband deployment, including limiting the ability of BEAD awardees to utilize state funding to meet the 25% funding match requirement for projects.
The BEAD program directs the state to first prioritize projects to connect unserved locations determined by the Federal Communications Commission National Broadband maps. The second priority is to connect underserved locations; and the third priority is for projects connecting eligible community anchor institutions that lack access to gigabit-level broadband service, such as schools, libraries, and healthcare facilities. On June 26, 2023, the White House held an event to announce the state distribution amounts of the $42.45 billion available nationwide. California will receive $1.8 billion in BEAD funding, estimated to be available for award in mid-2024. The CPUC is currently in the process of developing state program rules for the BEAD program and a Scoping Memo is expected soon as the CPUC must submit a plan to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for implementing the BEAD program by the end of the year.
AB 662 is set to be heard in the Senate Energy and Utilities Committee on Monday, July 10th. RCRC’s coalition letter can be found here. For more information, contact Tracy Rhine, Senior Policy Advocate, at trhine@rcrcnet.org.