BILL NUMBER: AB 2773	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Quirk

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2016

   An act to amend Section 884 of the Public Utilities Code, relating
to broadband services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2773, as introduced, Quirk. Broadband services.
   Existing law establishes the California Teleconnect Fund
Administrative Committee Fund in the State Treasury, requires that
moneys from the fund only be expended upon appropriation in the
annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation, and requires
that the moneys appropriated be utilized exclusively by the
commission for authorized teleconnect programs. Existing law
authorizes the commission to expend up to $2,000,000 of the
unencumbered amount of those funds for the nonrecurring installation
costs for high-speed broadband services for community organizations
that are eligible for discounted rates, as specified. Existing law
defines "high-speed broadband services" for these purposes to mean a
system for the digital transmission of information over the Internet
at a speed of at least 384 kilobits per second.
   This bill would change the minimum speed in that definition from
384 kilobits per second to 500 kilobits per second.
   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.  Section 884 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
   884.  (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that any program
administered by the commission that addresses the inequality of
access to high-speed broadband services by providing those services
to schools and libraries at a discounted price, provide comparable
discounts to a nonprofit community technology program.
   (b) Notwithstanding any other law or existing program of the
commission, but consistent with the purposes for which those funds
were appropriated from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative
Committee Fund in Item 8660-001-0493 of Section 2.00 of the Budget
Act of 2003 (Chapter 157 of the Statutes of 2003), and reappropriated
in Item 8660-491 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2006 (Chapter
47 of the Statutes of 2006), the commission may expend up to two
million dollars ($2,000,000) of the unencumbered amount of those
funds for the nonrecurring installation costs for high-speed
broadband services for community organizations that are eligible for
discounted rates pursuant to Section 280.
   (c) For the purpose of this section:
   (1) "High-speed broadband services" means a system for the digital
transmission of information over the Internet at a speed of at least
 384   500  kilobits per second.
   (2) "Nonprofit community technology program" means a
community-based nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and engages in
diffusing technology into local communities and training local
communities that have no access to, or have limited access to, the
Internet and advanced telecommunications technologies.