Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians. Existing law provides that the goal of the program is to, no later than December 31, 2022, approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households, as provided.
This bill would continue the date to achieve the goal of the CASF program to no later than December 31, 2032.
Existing law authorizes the commission to collect a sum not to exceed $330,000,000 to implement the CASF program through the imposition of a surcharge that is collected through the 2022 calendar year.
This bill would extend the collection of the surcharge until the full sum of $330,000,000 is collected.
Existing law establishes the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account in the CASF to provide grants for the deployment of infrastructure capable of delivering access to unserved households, as provided. Existing law requires the commission, in administering that account, to annually offer an existing facility-based broadband provider the opportunity to demonstrate that it will deploy broadband or upgrade existing facilities to a delineated unserved area within 180 days. Existing law prohibits the commission from approving funding for a project to deploy broadband to a delineated unserved area if the existing facility-based broadband provider demonstrates to the commission, in response to the commission's annual offer, that it will deploy broadband or upgrade existing broadband service throughout the project area.
This bill would repeal that requirement and prohibition. The bill would expand eligibility for grants from that account to include additional households and would require projects awarded grants from that account to deploy infrastructure capable of providing broadband access at increased speeds, as specified.
Under existing law, a local governmental agency is eligible for a grant from that account only if the project is for an unserved household or business, and no other eligible entity applied after the commission has conducted an open application process.
This bill would repeal that provision.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because certain of the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Statutes affected:
SB740: 281 PUC
02/19/21 - Introduced: 281 PUC
04/08/21 - Amended Senate: 281 PUC
SB 740: 281 PUC