Broadband
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay 

October 29, 2023 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports last Wednesday, RCRC staff testified before the California Broadband Council (CBC) on the impacts of recent and ongoing changes to the statewide middle-mile design. The California Department of Technology (CDT) most recently altered the middle-mile maps on October 20th, three weeks after Federal Funding Account (FFA) applications were submitted, jeopardizing last-mile networks in rural areas dependent on the state fiber backbone for middle-mile service.

The CBC was created in 2010 to ensure coordination across state agencies in promoting broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas. In 2021 the state made an unprecedented $ 6 billion investment in broadband deployment that included establishment of the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative to create an over $3 billion state owned middle-mile network. The state middle-mile is the foundation of many proposed projects seeking funding through the $2 billion last-mile grant program, the FFA. 

ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-seven member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.