Newly appointed Federal Communications Commission Chief of Staff Zachary Katz will join State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and other state officials Thursday for a roundtable discussion about broadband issues.
The meeting will serve as an informal gathering of the California Broadband Council, formed in 2010 by S.B. 1462, a bill introduced by Padilla. Padilla now serves as vice-chair of the council and will attend Thursday’s meeting to host Katz and discuss ways to bridge the digital divide. The event will be held on Jan. 12 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 112 at the California State Capitol.
"[The meeting is] more of an opportunity for conversation and obviously a rare opportunity to have such a high ranking official from the FCC in the State Capitol to have a conversation with key policymakers about broadband issues," Padilla said today.
The FCC in November addressed broadband issues by adopting an order recognizing mobile broadband as important, and enacting program reform, such as changing the universal service and intercarrier compensations systems into the Connect America Fund (CAF). The CAF is expected to help 7 million Americans gain access to high-speed Internet as well as stimulate the economy, according to the FCC. With federal reform and continuing innovation, Padilla said Katz’s visit to California comes at the perfect time.
In addition to working with federal officials to make sure California benefits from reform and addresses the infrastructure, adoption and literacy issues relating to broadband, Padilla said the coming year will offer opportunity to make sure past legislation addressing the digital divide comes to full fruition.
"We’ve done a lot of the legislative work in the recent years, and I think this year we want to make sure those policies are being implemented," he said.
The California Broadband Council has nine members and is chaired by California Public Utilities Commission President (CPUC) Michael Peevey, who is not expected to attend due to a conflicting meeting of the CPUC in San Francisco, according to his staff.
