CPUC Acts To Increase Broadband Deployment Through California Advanced Services Fund
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in its commitment to bridging the digital divide, today established a process for the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) to leverage unprecedented federal funding to build broadband, and approved up to $8.64 million in grant funding to increase broadband deployment in rural and tribal communities in the state.
Today’s Decision establishes a process to use the CASF to leverage up to $695 million in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) funding in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I Auction 904 to fund broadband deployment in rural communities that lack service. The CPUC will award leveraging funds, or “kicker” funds, from the CASF Infrastructure Account to eligible broadband providers in the amount of 10 to 20 percent of the Auction 904 funding for expanding the funded areas. The opportunity to leverage federal funds by awarding CASF grant funding to RDOF Auction 904 winners has encouraged broadband providers to pursue more federal RDOF funding for California broadband infrastructure that could not otherwise be funded with the remaining CASF budget. Details about the FCC’s RDOF can be found at www.cpuc.ca.gov/broadbandfederalfunding. The proposal (R.20-08-021) voted on and the appendix, which contains the program’s guidelines, are available at: https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M360/K014/360014950.PDF.
In addition, the CPUC approved up to $8.64 million in grant funding to build high-speed broadband Internet infrastructure and access for unserved Californians in Humboldt, Placer, and Sutter counties. Collectively, the grants—primarily for fiberoptic infrastructure investments—will provide high-speed Internet service to 1,477 unserved households.
The grants were awarded to:
- Hunter Telecommunications for the Hoopa Valley Broadband Initiative Project in the amount of up to $8,223,340 (Res T-17717).
- DigitalPath, Inc. for the Sutter Placer Project in the amount of up to $415,438 (Res T-17720).
The proposed broadband service projects will provide ancillary benefits, including improved connectivity to low-income and tribal communities and households in Tier 2 and Tier 3 Fire-Threat Districts. Details about the approved projects can be found at: www.cpuc.ca.gov/General.aspx?id=8246.
Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves commented after the vote, “Today we took another step in closing the digital divide for more California families.”
The CASF program makes significant contributions toward meeting the goal of Assembly Bill 1665 to provide high-speed Internet service to 98 percent of California households in each CASF consortia region in order to promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies.
More information on the CASF program is available at www.cpuc.ca.gov/casf.
The CPUC regulates services and utilities, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians’ access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.
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