Existing law requires all contracts for the acquisition of information technology goods and services related to information technology projects, as defined, to be made by or under the supervision of the Department of Technology, which also has the final authority in the determination of information technology procurement policy.
This bill, the Affordable Internet and Net Equality Act of 2024, would require the Department of Technology, in coordination with the Public Utilities Commission and the Department of General Services, to develop and establish the Net Equality Program. The bill would require the state and state agencies to only enter into a procurement contract with an internet service provider offering affordable home internet service, which costs no more than $40 per month and meets specified minimum speed requirements, to households participating in certain public assistance programs, or with an internet service provider participating in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, or any other state or federal program that offers broadband affordability assistance for households that qualify for that program, and that offers to households that qualify for those programs internet service that costs no more than $40 per month and meets specified minimum speed requirements.
This bill would require the Department of Technology to annually post on its internet website a list of internet service providers that meet the requirements of the bill, as provided. The bill would not apply to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Office of Emergency Services, political subdivisions of the state, including, but not limited to, cities and counties, a contract entered into before January 1, 2026, or an internet service provider with fewer than 100,000 California residential subscribers. The bill would also make its provisions severable.