California Has $7 Billion for Broadband. Sacramento May Just Sit On It

It’s hard to believe that when Governor Newsom identifies a total of $7 billion for California’s legislature to spend on broadband access—coming from a mix of state surplus dollars and federal rescue money to invest in broadband infrastructure—that the legislature would do nothing.

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It is hard to believe that, when handed an amount that would finance giving every single Californian a fiber connection to the Internet over the next five years; would allow the state to address an urgent broadband crisis worsened by the pandemic; and gives us a way to start ending the digital divide now, that the legislature would rather waste time we can’t afford to think it over.

But that is exactly what California’s legislature has proposed this week. Can you believe it?

Tucked away on page 12 of this 153-page budget document from the legislature this week is the following plan for Governor Newsom’s proposal to help connect every Californian to 21st-century access:

Broadband. Appropriates $7 billion over a multi-year period for broadband infrastructure and improved access to broadband services throughout the state. Details will continue to be worked out through three party negotiations. Administrative flexibilities will enable the appropriated funds to be accelerated to ensure they are available as needed to fund the expansion and improvements.

What this says is that the legislature wants to approve $7 billion for broadband infrastructure but does not want to authorize the governor to carry out his proposal any time soon.

There’s no excuse for this. Lawmakers have been given a lot o

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Read the original article: California Has $7 Billion for Broadband. Sacramento May Just Sit On It