Communications: broadband internet service providers: affordable home internet service.

Assembly Member Boerner's California Affordable Home Internet Act mandates that internet service providers offer low-cost broadband plans to households participating in public assistance programs. The legislation requires providers to deliver internet service with minimum speeds of 50 megabytes per second downstream and 10 megabytes per second upstream at no more than $15 monthly to eligible customers within their service territories.

The bill tasks providers with actively promoting these affordable plans through their websites and marketing materials. Starting in 2027, providers must submit annual reports to the Department of Technology detailing their affordable service offerings and enrollment numbers. The department assumes exclusive oversight of the program, with the Public Utilities Commission explicitly barred from any regulatory role. Small independent providers, those with fewer than 50,000 subscribers in underserved areas, joint powers authorities, and participants in the California Lifeline program are exempt from the requirements.

The provisions automatically sunset if a federal or state broadband subsidy program launches that offers monthly benefits of $15 or more for comparable service speeds, maintains sustained public funding, and achieves participation from all California providers serving over 100,000 customers. This builds upon existing state policies including the Digital Equity Bill of Rights and the California Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act, which establish principles of equal broadband access and prohibit paid prioritization of internet traffic.