California Advanced Services Fund (CASF)

The Commission authorized the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) on December 20, 2007, in D.07-12-054 in accordance with Public Utilities (P.U.) Code § 701. It provides grants to “telephone corporations” as defined under P.U. Code § 234. The CASF is intended to promote universal service in unserved and underserved areas in the state by awarding funding to qualifying certificated applicant carriers. With an initial funding of $100 million, the CASF is used for projects that will a) provide broadband services to areas currently without broadband access and b) build out facilities in underserved areas if funds are still available.

The Commission adopted the CASF application requirements, timelines, and scoring criteria for parties to qualify for broadband project funding in Resolution T-17143 issued on June 12, 2008. The Legislature reaffirmed the Commission’s creation of the CASF program in Senate Bill (SB) 1193, which Governor Schwarzenegger signed on September 27, 2008, and codified the program as P.U. Code § 281.

On September 25, 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 1040 (Chapter 317, Stats 2010), which increased the CASF appropriation from $100 million to $225 million. The additional $125 million is allocated to the following accounts: $100 million to the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account, $10 million to the Rural and Regional Urban Consortia Account, and $15 million to the Broadband Infrastructure Loan Account. To implement the provisions of SB 1040 and to address possible changes to the program based on CASF’s three year implementation experience, the Commission opened an Order Instituting Rulemaking (R.10-12-008) on December 16, 2010.

The CASF is funded by a surcharge rate on revenues collected by telecommunications carriers from end-users for intrastate telecommunications services. On January 1, 2008, the Commission adopted a surcharge rate of 0.25% to fund the program. On December 17, 2009, the Commission approved Resolution T-17248 which reduced the CASF surcharge from 0.25% to 0.00% effective January 1, 2010. To collect the additional funds authorized by SB 1040, the Commission issued Resolution T-17343 on September 22, 2011, which revises the surcharge from 0.0% to 0.14% effective November 1, 2011.

A hard copy of Commission decisions/orders can be obtained for a fee by calling the Commission’s Central Files Section at 415-703-2045. Questions about this program should be directed to one of the following:

Geraldine Carlin (415) 703-2114 gvc@cpuc.ca.gov

Zenaida Tapawan – Conway (415) 703-5221 ztc@cpuc.ca.gov

Mike Amato (415) 703-1863 mca@cpuc.ca.gov

CASF Interim Performance and Financial Audit Report (April 2011)

Applications for CASF funding for 40% of total project costs are still being accepted.

Prospective applicants who have questions about the application process can send an email to CASF_Application_questions@cpuc.ca.gov. Responses to questions should be posted once a week on a "Q and A" webpage linked to this CASF site.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) - about the application process, CASF mapping and shapefiles (.shp), and program administration after selection.

Click here to file your application

Mere submission of an application does not guarantee Commission approval. Commission approval of projects comes only after staff review. Applicants who commence a project prior to Commission approval do so at their own risk and are responsible for all costs and expenses incurred.
Applicants should include in their total project costs, costs and expenses for a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. Additionally, the time necessary for a CEQA review should be included in the timeline for total project completion.

Pending New CASF Applications to Offer Broadband (CBGs, ZIP Codes & Maps)

Commission-Approved CASF Projects - webpage containing maps, CBGs, and resolutions regarding CASF Commission-Approved projects to date.

Shapefiles of Approved CASF Projects and Existing Broadband Service: