Californians: Tell the Governor and Legislature to Keep Their Promise on Broadband Funding

We need your help telling Governor Newsom and the California Legislature to keep their promise on broadband infrastructure funding—giving it full funding without any cuts or delays. California’s broadband infrastructure fund created by S.B. 156 in 2021 creates several critical programs to finally deliver 21st century broadband access to every Californian. These programs would address the systemic inequalities inflicting our cities and counties, which were exacerbated and painfully revealed as a result of the pandemic.

TAKE ACTION

Tell Gov. newsom and the Legislature

to Keep their broadband promises

S.B. 156 and California’s infrastructure law lay the groundwork by which local communities would be empowered to solve their own problems. By making $6 billion available over several years and in several different pathways, the state set down a path for businesses, local governments, co-ops, Tribes, and nonprofits to work together to bring 21st-century access to every California resident lacking broadband speeds up to 25/3 mbps. This budget was specifically established by utilizing detailed cost model data collected by the state government to project the total budget needed when accounting for the high one-time sunk cost of infrastructure. And it is from the promise of this budget that these local efforts have planned their investments and strategies to bring service to their respective communities. Any delay or cut to these funds would derail years of planning to connect these Californians.

When these state funds are combined with federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds, we will truly be able to connect every Californian with accessible, reliable, and affordable service for decades to come. However, if the state cuts down on its own investment and utilizes federal dollars to primarily service the “unserved,” it would be choosing to take away grant funds from “underserved” communities all across California otherwise entitled to those funds under federal law, leaving them behind. As noted, S.B. 156 was tailored to ensure fiber optic deployment to every “unserved” Californian. Combined with federal funding, we can provide the same level of access to virtually every “underserved” Californian (residents lacking broadband access that delivers speeds up to 100/20 mbps) as well. Taken together, we are talking about funding available to connect virtually every Californian.

Our elected officials made a promise in 2021 to bring future-proof, affordable, reliable, and accessible internet to all Californians. They should be proud of charting the right course then. Let us remind them that right now we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bridge the digital divide, create unprecedented economic development opportunities, and address systemic harms for generations to come. But only if we stay the course on broadband infrastructure funding.

TAKE ACTION

Tell Gov. newsom and the Legislature

to Keep their broadband promises