California In Good Position To Secure Federal Infrastructure Funds For Broadband

California is well positioned to benefit from broadband access funds included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That’s the message state leaders and experts conveyed “Federal Infrastructure Funds for California: Broadband and Beyond,” hosted by California Foward and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), and co-sponsored by more than 40 organizations. “California is a little bit ahead of the game because of how long we’ve been at this,” said Sen Alex Padilla (D-CA). He added that the state is not starting from scratch in terms of state-level investment and commitment to broadband infrastructure. “We know with increasing precision where the underserved areas of the state remain and what the ballpark costs are to connect people.” According to the California Public Utilities Commission, the state has more underserved households than any other state with more than 50% of rural households, nearly 30% of tribal households and nearly 50% of urban households lacking any broadband service at 100 Mbps (modern benchmark speed). 

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Joanne Hovis emphasized that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a very big deal because of the scale of funding and the fact that it is a bipartisan effort. “The great majority of the funding that is targeted for broadband in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and also in the American Rescue Plan Act is flowing through state government and that, in my view, is a very good thing and I think it’s particularly good for California.” She added, “I really do think that all of the thinking, the planning, the rigorous analysis, and the effort of the past decade or more that you have undertaken position you now for this moment.”