The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in ongoing efforts to help the state bridge the digital divide, has provided to the California Department of Technology (CDT) a complete analysis on the location, affordability, and open-access availability of California’s existing middle-mile infrastructure. “Middle-mile,” refers to the high-capacity fiber-optic cables that traverse long distances (e.g., 10s-100s of miles) to connect communities to the global Internet backbone. This enables “last-mile” Internet connectivity to unserved families and businesses.
Under the historic Broadband Infrastructure Package, California will acquire, build, maintain, and operate an essential open-access statewide middle-mile network, which will be overseen by the CDT. The CPUC provided a comprehensive analysis of middle-mile locations as specified in Government Code section 11549.54. This analysis builds upon the prior analysis published in December 2021 and reflects locations that will enable last-mile service connections and are in communities where there is no known middle-mile infrastructure that is open access, with sufficient capacity, and at affordable rates. The update also illustrates statutory prioritizations and the results of public comment received by the CPUC.
The analysis highlights where middle-mile network infrastructure is expected to incentivize providers to serve unserved areas, reduce upfront infrastructure costs, create new opportunities for public broadband networks, enhance network resiliency, competition, and promote affordability. The CPUC’s middle-mile analysis and data report is available at https://middle-mile-broadband-initiative.cdt.ca.gov/pages/data-and-analysis.
In addition to the middle-mile network, the Broadband Infrastructure Package includes $2 billion to build last-mile infrastructure to provide Californians with access to high-speed broadband service. The assistance will be issued through the Federal Funding Account administered by the CPUC. The CPUC also oversees a Local Agency Technical Assistance grant program that provides $50 million to reimburse eligible local governments and Tribal entities for work that facilitates last-mile broadband infrastructure to communities lacking sufficient Internet. The CPUC is also implementing a $750 million Broadband Loan Loss Reserve Fund that supports costs related to the financing of local broadband infrastructure development. The reserve fund expands the ability of local governments to secure financing for building last-mile projects, with an emphasis on public broadband networks.
More information on the CPUC’s efforts in broadband implementation for California is available at www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/internet-and-phone/broadband-implementation-for-california.
The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians’ access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.
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