Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with house amendments and pass a bill that requires the Office of Business and Economic Development to coordinate with state agencies and national organizations to streamline local land use approvals for broadband infrastructure projects.

Highlights:

• Establishes the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies, consistent with this section and with the statements of intent in Section 2 of the Internet for All Now Act (Sec. 2).

• Specifies the goal of the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account is, no later than December 31, 2032, to approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98 percent of California households in each consortia region, as identified by the commission (Sec. 2).

• Requires the commission to do both of the following (Sec. 2):

• Approve projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved by an existing facility-based broadband provider; and

• Prioritize projects in unserved areas where internet connectivity is available only at speeds at or below 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream or areas with no internet connectivity.

• Appropriates money must be used to match or leverage federal money for communications infrastructure, digital equity, and adoption, including, but not limited to, money from the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture ReConnect Loan and Grant Program, and the Federal Communications Commission for communications infrastructure, digital equity, and adoption (Sec. 2).

• Restructures the California Advanced Services Fund program methodologies to provide service to serviceable locations and evaluate other program changes to align with other funding sources, including, but not limited to, funding locations (Sec. 2).

• Specifies the commission will maximize investments in new, robust, and scalable infrastructure and use California Advanced Services Fund money to leverage federal and non-California Advanced Services Fund money by undertaking activities, including, but not limited to, all of the following (Sec. 2):

• Providing technical assistance to local governments and providers;

• Assisting in developing grant applications; and

• Assisting in preparing definitive plans for deploying necessary infrastructure in each county, including coordination across contiguous counties.

Full Bill Text