(1) 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 that will promote, among other things, the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies. Existing law authorizes the commission to collect a surcharge for deposit into the CASF. 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. Existing law requires the commission, in approving infrastructure projects, to approve projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved by an existing facility-based broadband provider, as provided.
This bill would instead require the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund program to encourage deployment of 21st century-ready communications, as provided. The bill would provide that the goal of the program is to, no later than December 31, 2024, approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide high-capacity, future-proof infrastructure, as defined, based on current engineering and scientific information at the time of program application, as provided. The bill would require the commission, in approving infrastructure projects, to approve projects that provide high-capacity, future-proof infrastructure to households that are unserved areas, as defined, or unserved high-poverty areas, as defined.
Existing law requires the commission 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, with opportunity for extension beyond the 180 days, as provided, if the commission makes a specified finding.
This bill would instead require the commission 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 90 days, with the opportunity for extension beyond the 90 days, as provided, if the commission makes the specified finding.
Existing law requires projects eligible for grant awards to meet certain requirements, including that the project deploy infrastructure capable of providing broadband access at speeds of a minimum of 10 megabits per second (mbps) downstream and one mbps upstream to unserved households in census blocks where no provider offers access at speeds of at least 6 mbps downstream and one mbps upstream. Existing law requires the commission, when approving projects, to make certain considerations.
This bill, among other changes relating to project eligibility and approval, would require that the project, in order to be eligible for grant awards, deploy infrastructure capable of providing broadband access at speeds of a minimum of 100 mpbs downstream, 100 mbps upstream, and a latency that is sufficiently low to allow real-time, interactive applications to unserved areas.
Existing law authorizes an individual household or property owner to be eligible to apply for a grant to offset the costs of connecting the household or property to an existing or proposed facility-based broadband provider. Existing law requires the aggregate amount of grants awarded to not exceed $5,000,000.
This bill would delete these provisions.
Existing law requires specified technology grants to include funding for specified costs, including costs incurred by an existing facility-based broadband provider to upgrade its existing facilities to provide for interconnection.
This bill would provide for the above-described costs so long as the existing facility-based broadband provider can demonstrate to the commission that it is financially infeasible for it to upgrade without grant supports.
Existing law requires specified moneys to be available for infrastructure projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households to which no facility-based broadband provider offers broadband service at speeds of at least 10 mbps downstream and one mbps upstream.
This bill would instead require the specified moneys to be available for infrastructure projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households to which no facility-based broadband provider offers broadband service at speeds of at least 25 mbps downstream, 25 mbps upstream, and a latency that is sufficiently low to allow real-time, interactive applications.
(2) Existing law requires the commission to conduct various interim and final audits of the California Advanced Services Fund to ensure that funds have been expended in accordance with the approved terms of the grant awards and loan agreements, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to report the interim findings to the Legislature by April 1, 2020.
This bill would require the commission to also report interim findings by April 1, 2022.
(3) Existing law requires the commission to, until April 1, 2023, annually provide a report to the Legislature that includes certain information, including the remaining unserved areas in the state, the status of the California Advanced Services Fund balance, and the projected amount to be collected in each year through 2022.
This bill would instead require the commission to provide this report until April 1, 2025. The bill would require that the information specified above include the remaining unserved areas and unserved high-poverty areas in the state and the status of the fund balance and the projected amount to be collected in each year through 2024.

Statutes affected:
SB 1130: 281 PUC, 912.2 PUC, 914.7 PUC, 21670 PUC
02/19/20 - Introduced: 21670 PUC
04/01/20 - Amended Senate: 281 PUC, 912.2 PUC, 914.7 PUC, 21670 PUC
SB1130: 21670 PUC