Amended in Assembly April 6, 2015

Amended in Assembly February 24, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 238

Introduced by Assembly Member Mark Stone

February 5, 2015

An act to amend Section 281 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to telecommunications.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 238, as amended, Mark Stone. Telecommunications: California Advanced Services Fund

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law establishes, among other funds related to telecommunications, the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the CASF to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies, as provided in specified decisions of the commission and in the CASF statute. begin insert Existing law requires the commission to give priority to projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved by an existing facilities-based broadband provider. end insert

This bill would define “broadband” for purposes of these provisions as advanced telecommunication services with specified advertised begin delete speeds. end delete begin insert speeds and would authorize the commission to revise the definition, as specified. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the commission give additional priority to projects providing broadband access to unserved or underserved households. end insert

begin insert

Existing law provides that entities that are not telephone corporations are eligible to apply for funding from the CASF for projects to provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved. Existing law provides that local government entities may be eligible for infrastructure grants only if the infrastructure projects are for unserved households or businesses.

end insert begin insert

This bill would make projects that provide last-mile broadband access solely to households that are underserved also eligible for funding. For entities that are local governments, the bill would eliminate the requirement that the infrastructure projects be for unserved households or businesses.

end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(1) In the Broadband Availability in America report, released
on January 30, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) found that the rate of deployment of advanced
telecommunications services is failing to keep up with today’s
advanced, high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video offerings.

(2) After evaluating advances in technology, market offerings
by broadband providers, and consumer demand, the FCC updated
the definition of broadband to mean 25 megabits per second (Mbps)
downstream and three Mbps upstream speed.

(3) In California, home to the development of much of the
world’s most advanced telecommunications technology, 2.6 million
people do not have access to any services offering wireline
begin delete 25Mbps/3Mbps end delete begin insert 25 Mbps/3 Mbps end insert broadband speeds. The lack of
access especially affects people living in rural counties.

(4) In today’s digital landscape, access to proper broadband
service is a necessity for the workplace, education, civic
engagement, and economic competitiveness. California cannot fall
behind in securing access to robust broadband for all of its
residents, and it must continue to be a leader in developing
advanced telecommunications infrastructure for all.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to pursue
the deployment of advanced telecommunications services with
broadband speeds of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps
upstream in all areas of the state.

begin insert

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Public Utilities
Commission encourage the deployment of broadband access
pursuant to Section 706(a) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
(47 U.S.C. Sec. 1302(a)).

end insert

SEC. 2.  

Section 281 of the Public Utilities Code is amended
to read:

281.  

(a) The commission shall develop, implement, and
administer the California Advanced Services Fund program to
encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications
services to all Californians that will promote economic growth,
job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced
information and communications technologies, consistent with
this section.

(b) (1) The goal of the program is to approve funding for
infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no
less than 98 percent of California households.

(2)  begin insert (A) end insert begin insert   end insert In approving infrastructure projects, the commission
shall give priority to projects that provide last-mile broadband
access to households that are unserved by an existing
facilities-based broadband provider. The commission shall provide
each applicant, and any party challenging an application, the
opportunity to demonstrate actual levels of broadband service in
the project area, which the commission shall consider in reviewing
the application.

begin insert

(B) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission give
additional priority to projects providing broadband access to
unserved or underserved households, as defined in commission
Decision 12-02-015.

end insert

(3)  begin insert (A) end insert begin insert   end insert For purposes of this section, “broadband” means
advanced communication services at advertised speeds of at least
25 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and three Mbps
upstream.

begin insert

(B) If the Federal Communications Commission adopts a
definition for “advanced telecommunication capability” that
provides for a faster speed than that specified in subparagraph
(A), the commission may revise the definition of “broadband” to
be consistent with that federal definition.

end insert

(c) The commission shall establish the following accounts within
the fund:

(1) The Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account.

(2) The Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia Grant
Account.

(3) The Broadband Infrastructure Revolving Loan Account.

(4) The Broadband Public Housing Account.

(d) (1) All moneys collected by the surcharge authorized by
the commission pursuant to commission Decision 07-12-054 shall
be transmitted to the commission pursuant to a schedule established
by the commission. The commission shall transfer the moneys
received to the Controller for deposit in the California Advanced
Services Fund. Moneys collected on and after January 1, 2011,
shall be deposited in the following amounts in the following
accounts:

(A) One hundred ninety million dollars ($190,000,000) into the
Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account.

(B) Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) into the Rural and Urban
Regional Broadband Consortia Grant Account.

(C) Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) into the Broadband
Infrastructure Revolving Loan Account.

(2) All interest earned on moneys in the fund shall be deposited
in the fund.

(3) The commission shall not collect moneys, by imposing the
surcharge described in paragraph (1) for deposit in the fund, in an
amount that exceeds one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000)
before January 1, 2011. On and after January 1, 2011, the
commission may collect an additional sum not to exceed two
hundred fifteen million dollars ($215,000,000), for a sum total of
moneys collected by imposing the surcharge described in paragraph
(1) not to exceed three hundred fifteen million dollars
($315,000,000). The commission may collect the additional sum
beginning with the calendar year starting on January 1, 2011, and
continuing through the 2020 calendar year, in an amount not to
exceed twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) per year, unless
the commission determines that collecting a higher amount in any
year will not result in an increase in the total amount of all
surcharges collected from telephone customers that year.

(e) (1) All moneys in the California Advanced Services Fund
shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the
commission for the program administered by the commission
pursuant to this section, including the costs incurred by the
commission in developing, implementing, and administering the
program and the fund.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law and for the sole purpose of
providing matching funds pursuant to the federal American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), any
entity eligible for funding pursuant to that act shall be eligible to
apply to participate in the program administered by the commission
pursuant to this section, if that entity otherwise satisfies the
eligibility requirements under that program. This section does not
impede the ability of an incumbent local exchange carrier, as
defined by subsection (h) of Section 251 of Title 47 of the United
States Code, that is regulated under a rate of return regulatory
structure, to recover, in rate base, California infrastructure
investment not provided through federal or state grant funds for
facilities that provide broadband service and California intrastate
voice service.

(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 270, an entity
that is not a telephone corporation shall be eligible to apply to
participate in the program administered by the commission pursuant
to this section to provide access to broadband to an unserved or
underserved begin delete household, as defined in commission Decision
12-02-015, end delete begin insert household, end insert if the entity otherwise meets the eligibility
requirements and complies with program requirements established
by the commission. These requirements shall include all of the
following:

(A) That projects under this paragraph provide last-mile
broadband access to households that are unserved begin insert or underserved end insert
by an existing facilities-based broadband provider and only receive
funding to provide broadband access to begin delete households that are
unserved or underserved, as defined in commission Decision
12-02-015. end delete begin insert those households. end insert

(B) That funding for a project providing broadband access to
an underserved household shall not be approved until after any
existing facilities-based provider has an opportunity to demonstrate
to the commission that it will, within a reasonable timeframe,
upgrade existing service. An existing facilities-based provider
may, but is not required to, apply for funding under this section to
make that upgrade.

(C) That the commission shall provide each applicant, and any
party challenging an application, the opportunity to demonstrate
actual levels of broadband service in the project area, which the
commission shall consider in reviewing the application.

(D) That a local governmental agency may be eligible for an
infrastructure grant only if begin delete the infrastructure project is for an
unserved household or business, end delete the commission has conducted
an open application process, and no other eligible entity applied.

(E) That the commission shall establish a service list of
interested parties to be notified of California Advanced Services
Fund applications.

(f) Moneys in the Rural and Urban Regional Broadband
Consortia Grant Account shall be available for grants to eligible
consortia to fund the cost of broadband deployment activities other
than the capital cost of facilities, as specified by the commission.
An eligible consortium may include, as specified by the
commission, representatives of organizations, including, but not
limited to, local and regional government, public safety, elementary
and secondary education, health care, libraries, postsecondary
education, community-based organizations, tourism, parks and
recreation, agricultural, and business, and is not required to have
as its lead fiscal agent an entity with a certificate of public
convenience and necessity.

(g) Moneys in the Broadband Infrastructure Revolving Loan
Account shall be available to finance capital costs of broadband
facilities not funded by a grant from the Broadband Infrastructure
Grant Account. The commission shall periodically set interest rates
on the loans based on surveys of existing financial markets.

(h) (1) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms
have the following meanings:

(A) “Publicly subsidized” means either that the housing
development receives financial assistance from the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to an
annual contribution contract or is financed with low-income
housing tax credits, tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds, general
obligation bonds, or local, state, or federal loans or grants and the
rents of the occupants, who are lower income households, do not
exceed those prescribed by deed restrictions or regulatory
agreements pursuant to the terms of the financing or financial
assistance.

(B) “Publicly supported community” means a publicly
subsidized multifamily housing development that is wholly owned
by either of the following:

(i) A public housing agency that has been chartered by the state,
or by any city or county in the state, and has been determined to
be an eligible public housing agency by the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development.

(ii) An incorporated nonprofit organization as described in
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec.
501(c)(3)) that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(a) of
that code (16 U.S.C. Sec. 501(a)), and that has received public
funding to subsidize the construction or maintenance of housing
occupied by residents whose annual income qualifies as “low” or
“very low” income according to federal poverty guidelines.

(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 270, moneys in
the Broadband Public Housing Account shall be available for the
commission to award grants and loans pursuant to this subdivision
to an eligible publicly supported community if that entity otherwise
meets eligibility requirements and complies with program
requirements established by the commission.

(3) Not more than twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) shall
be available for grants and loans to a publicly supported community
to finance a project to connect a broadband network to that publicly
supported community. A publicly supported community may be
an eligible applicant only if the publicly supported community can
verify to the commission that the publicly supported community
has not denied a right of access to any broadband provider that is
willing to connect a broadband network to the facility for which
the grant or loan is sought.

(4) (A) Not more than five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall
be available for grants and loans to a publicly supported community
to support programs designed to increase adoption rates for
broadband services for residents of that publicly supported
community. A publicly supported community may be eligible for
funding for a broadband adoption program only if the residential
units in the facility to be served have access to broadband services
or will have access to broadband services at the time the funding
for adoption is implemented.

(B) A publicly supported community may contract with other
nonprofit or public agencies to assist in implementation of a
broadband adoption program.

(5) To the extent feasible, the commission shall approve projects
for funding from the Broadband Public Housing Account in a
manner that reflects the statewide distribution of publicly supported
communities.

(6) In reviewing a project application under this subdivision,
the commission shall consider the availability of other funding
sources for that project, any financial contribution from the
broadband service provider to the project, the availability of any
other public or private broadband adoption or deployment program,
including tax credits and other incentives, and whether the applicant
has sought funding from, or participated in, any reasonably
available program. The commission may require an applicant to
provide match funding, and shall not deny funding for a project
solely because the applicant is receiving funding from another
source.

(7) (A) To provide funding for the purposes of this subdivision,
the commission shall transfer to the Broadband Public Housing
Account twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) from the Broadband
Infrastructure Grant Account and five million dollars ($5,000,000)
from the Broadband Revolving Loan Account. Any moneys in the
Broadband Public Housing Account that have not been awarded
pursuant to this subdivision by December 31, 2016, shall be
transferred back to the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account
and Broadband Infrastructure Revolving Loan Account in
proportion to the amount transferred from the respective accounts.

(B) The commission shall transfer funds pursuant to
subparagraph (A) only if the commission is otherwise authorized
to collect funds for purposes of this section in excess of the total
amount authorized pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (d).

(i) (1) The commission shall conduct two interim financial
audits and a final financial audit and two interim performance
audits and a final performance audit of the implementation and
effectiveness of the California Advanced Services Fund to ensure
that funds have been expended in accordance with the approved
terms of the grant awards and loan agreements and this section.
The commission shall report its interim findings to the Legislature
by April 1, 2011, and April 1, 2017. The commission shall report
its final findings to the Legislature by April 1, 2021. The reports
shall also include an update to the maps in the final report of the
California Broadband Task Force and data on the types and
numbers of jobs created as a result of the program administered
by the commission pursuant to this section.

(2) (A) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
paragraph (1) is inoperative on January 1, 2022, pursuant to Section
10231.5 of the Government Code.

(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

(j) (1) Beginning on January 1, 2012, and annually thereafter,
the commission shall provide a report to the Legislature that
includes all of the following information:

(A) The amount of funds expended from the California
Advanced Services Fund in the prior year.

(B) The recipients of funds expended from the California
Advanced Services Fund in the prior year.

(C) The geographic regions of the state affected by funds
expended from the California Advanced Services Fund in the prior
year.

(D) The expected benefits to be derived from the funds expended
from the California Advanced Services Fund in the prior year.

(E) Actual broadband adoption levels from the funds expended
from the California Advanced Services Fund in the prior year.

(F) The amount of funds expended from the California
Advanced Services Fund used to match federal funds.

(G) An update on the expenditures from California Advanced
Services Fund and broadband adoption levels, and an accounting
of remaining unserved and underserved households and areas of
the state.

(H) The status of the California Advanced Services Fund balance
and the projected amount to be collected in each year through 2020
to fund approved projects.

(2) (A) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
paragraph (1) is inoperative on January 1, 2021, pursuant to Section
10231.5 of the Government Code.

(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.