Broadband: state oversight.

Assembly Member Boerner's comprehensive broadband oversight legislation establishes a new Department of Broadband and Digital Equity to centralize California's broadband deployment and digital equity initiatives. The bill creates an 11-member Broadband and Digital Equity Commission to oversee the department and guide state broadband policy, with representatives from consumer advocacy, nonprofits, internet service providers, labor unions, and tribal communities.

The department will assume administration of the California Advanced Services Fund and Broadband Loan Loss Reserve Fund from the Public Utilities Commission on July 1, 2027, becoming the state's sole authority for broadband regulation and infrastructure deployment. The legislation requires maintaining an interactive statewide broadband accessibility map and establishes a process for residents to report digital discrimination.

The Commission will appoint the department's executive director and advise on policy development while participating in federal proceedings affecting California's broadband interests. Members will receive up to $400 monthly for Commission business. The bill mandates annual legislative reports on unserved households, broadband adoption rates, and progress toward universal connectivity goals.

The measure dissolves the existing California Broadband Council, transitioning its members to a committee under the new Commission. It preserves current funding mechanisms, including surcharges on Voice over Internet Protocol services, while emphasizing leveraging federal infrastructure dollars. The department must conduct biennial audits to ensure grant funds advance broadband deployment in alignment with state objectives.