Last week’s special meeting of the California Broadband Council with an unprecedented visit from high-ranking FCC official Zachary Katz encouraged California leaders working to increase broadband adoption in the Golden State.
Katz, chief of staff and chief counsel to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, outlined the federal government’s $4.5 billion effort known as the Connect America Fund (CAF) announced last November. The goal is to reach 18 million disconnected Americans by expanding access to high-speed Internet and voice services throughout the nation with more modern networks.
Council Vice-Chair Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) said reform on the federal level could open new possibilities and help bridge the broadband gap in California. State leaders have worked to advance the building of infrastructure, in many ways ahead of other states, despite California’s vast population and diverse terrain.
"How do we not get punished for good behavior?," Padilla said at the meeting. "The way the funding is structured, we want to make sure that California doesn’t lose out because we’ve already done all these good things where other states are catching up."
California Emerging Technology Fund President and CEO Sunne Wright McPeak said Katz’s visit to California was an exciting step for broadband expansion in the state and that officials hope the FCC recognizes the plan California has already set in place with the Broadband Council and the California Emerging Technology Fund.
Katz attended the Jan. 12 meeting and said the FCC will continue Phase I of the Connect America Fund and determine areas eligible for support by the end of March. California, once at a disadvantage because of the structure of the Universal Service Fund, has a good change of receiving funding to address the 2 million Californians who do not have broadband access, according to Katz.
"California is such a leader among the states," he said at Thursday’s meeting. "We have a lot of things we can learn from them, and we have a lot of things we will be working on together. The Connect America Fund is one of those. It’s fundamentally a state, federal partnership and so it’s great to have direct contact with folks as we think about the year ahead on out."
