Consumers suffer under California broadband deregulation

In 2012, California decided to deregulate the broadband internet industry until 2020 with the aim of encouraging greater consumer choice, economic growth and innovation. Eight years later, these benefits have not materialized. Instead internet providers have taken advantage of deregulation to increase prices and evade oversight. Now internet providers are pushing Assembly Bill 1366, which would extend this disastrous policy for another decade. While the telecom industry would have you believe that big government is after your internet, in reality, CA needs to do much more to promote broadband competition, internet affordability and availability. Failing to do so means CA will be left behind in our increasingly connected global economy. A decade ago, Verizon, AT&T and Google were rolling out next-generation 1000 Mbps fiber internet to homes across CA. Today, despite promises of increased choice under deregulation, Google and Verizon have pulled out of the market and AT&T has focused its fiber buildout on only the highest-income neighborhoods.

If AB 1366 passes, CA’s broadband policy will continue to be dictated by internet providers and their shareholder interests — and consumers will suffer.

[Vinhcent Le serves as lead for technology issues at The Greenlining Institute, an Oakland-based organization that advocates for economic opportunity. Sean McLaughlin is the Executive Director at Access Humboldt, which works to promote broadband and media access locally and statewide. ]