Broadband
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay 

June 1, 2021 - SACRAMENTO, CA. - A broad coalition of education, health, government, and equity organizations shares the following response to the effort to divert and delay Governor Newsom’s $7 billion broadband budget package from the final state budget in June.

We, the California Broadband Coalition, urge immediate investment of $4 billion to create a statewide, open access, middle mile network, which is the only long-term solution to universal access and affordability.

Of course AT&T and other incumbent providers oppose this investment—it will break up the localized monopolies they’ve enjoyed for years. About half of all Californians have only one option—or none at all—for broadband at speeds of 25 Mbps, and at higher speeds like 100 Mbps, the options and availability dwindle even more.

“Opposition to this broadband spending package and efforts to delay its progress are affronts to the families and hardworking Californians —rural and urban— across California who are the backbone of our economy and yet have struggled with education, employment, and isolation during the pandemic,” said CSAC Executive Director Graham Knaus. “California should have fully invested in broadband 20 years ago and now is no time to kick the can even farther down the road.”

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Source: CSAC