SACRAMENTO – AB 1665, Joint-Authored by several bipartisan Assembly members, including Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) and Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), recently was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

AB 1665 is the result of the successful negotiation of a $330 million bill package to expand broadband access and digital literacy in communities deprived of a reliable internet connection.

Several past efforts to increase funding to close the connectivity gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” known as the “Digital Divide,” were intensely opposed by the largest telecommunications and cable companies.

After a three-year stalemate, this bill represents a cooperative effort between legislators of both houses and both parties, consumer advocates, and representatives from the telecommunications and cable industries to invest in broadband access and rural development.

“After years of failed efforts, I am proud that our group was finally able to break through,” said Aguiar-Curry. “I’ve been working on this issue as a local official for over a decade. I’ve watched families get their first email address, and farmworkers finally able to talk to their kids’ teachers despite their long work hours. I’ve witnessed how internet access can transform a community. AB 1665 will transform communities across California.”

“We knew it would be ‘three strikes and you’re out’ if we didn’t make it happen this year, but we got there” said Joint-Author Assemblymember Jim Wood. “Success for me was to use the limited resources of this fund, combined with the limited timeframe of this program, to reach those who have no access to broadband, many of whom live in the district I represent. We have a long way to go to achieve optimal speeds and access for everyone throughout the state, but we cannot leave anyone behind before that work starts.”

The California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) is a state program aimed at closing the Digital Divide.

The CASF does not depend upon general fund dollars, but instead is funded by a small, existing surcharge on in-state phone bills.

The current goal of this program is to incentivize the expansion of broadband infrastructure to 98 percent of California households.

AB 1665 expands this goal to 98 percent of households in every geographic region of the state. This new goal creates a target that cannot be achieved by serving urban and suburban areas alone; it will ensure broadband infrastructure projects funded by AB 1665 are focused in rural California.

Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia added, “Legislative success for the ‘Internet for All Now Act of 2017’ will help increase connectivity to Californians stuck on the wrong side of the Digital Divide. This feat is attributed to the dedicated efforts of our bipartisan coalition of coauthors, who rallied together from all corners of our state to rectify our broadband infrastructure shortfall. Internet access has become a passport to health, economic, and educational opportunities. By extending funding into the California Advanced Services Fund we can provide access to this modern day necessity for our state’s most vulnerable communities.”

“The passage of AB 1665 marks an important step towards closing the Digital Divide, but in no way represents a panacea solution to the problem of internet access. This bill will focus funding in areas unserved by broadband, but that does not guarantee Californians can afford service or that the service always works well,” said Aguiar-Curry. “The governor’s signature on AB 1665 represents a critical step forward in the long road towards universal internet access. I look forward to continuing my work towards this goal in the years to come.”

Now law, AB 1665 will take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.