California

California's Broadband Loan Loss Reserve Fund is a $500 million fund that provides a credit enhancement related to the financing of local broadband infrastructure development. The reserve fund expands the ability of local governments, tribes and non-profits to secure financing for building last-mile projects, with an emphasis on public broadband networks. The Fund will provide collateral to local governments to enable more favorable borrowing rates and terms for bonds issued to deploy broadband infrastructure. The Fund was established in 2021. The benefits of the Fund include:

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) delivered a $7 million boost for high-speed internet projects in rural communities across the state. The newest multi-million-dollar grant award is a continuation of the CPUC’s work to support California’s Broadband For All initiative. Funding will go to three projects:

The COVID-19 pandemic made digital access an educational necessity and highlighted California’s longstanding digital divide—defined as disparities in reliable access to internet and digital devices. In spring 2020, when schools shifted abruptly to distance learning, only 68% of households with school-age children had reliable access to digital devices.

A program that helped millions of households across the country — and 2.8 million in California — afford internet access is ending, without additional funding from Congress. The Affordable Connectivity Program began in 2021 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. California received about $1.3 billion in funding through the program that helped about 1-in-5 households in the state. The Federal Communications Commission said that current funding is projected to run out in April and households will receive benefits through the end of the month.

Internet giants Comcast and AT&T are trying to prevent Oakland from receiving $14 million to build out its capacity for high-speed internet, the latest obstacle to the city’s efforts to close longstanding gaps in online access for its residents. In objections to Oakland’s latest share of a $3.87 billion California spending package, the two companies argued to the California Public Utilities Commision (CPUC) that the neighborhoods slated for enhanced fiber-optic infrastructure already enjoy faster internet speeds. Their evidence for that assertion has been kept confidential to everyone b

In October 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed the Digital Equity Bill of Rights. This is an interesting law that guarantees that Californians have the right to, among other things:

This report presents the main findings from the 2023 Statewide Survey on Broadband Adoption Survey.