Bill Text: CA AB2905 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 2905 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy: reports.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-31 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. [AB2905 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB2905-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2905

Introduced by Assembly Member Patterson

February 18, 2022

An act to amend Section 11549.58 of the Government Code, relating to communications.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2905, as introduced, Patterson. Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy: reports.

Existing law establishes, within the Department of Technology, the Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy. Existing law requires the office to oversee the acquisition and management of contracts for the development and construction of, and for the maintenance and operation of, a statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network, as defined, to provide an opportunity for last-mile providers, anchor institutions, and tribal entities to connect to, and interconnect with other networks and other appropriate connections to, the broadband network to facilitate high-speed broadband service, as specified. Existing law requires the office, in consultation with the Department of Finance, to submit annually a report to the budget committees of the Legislature on the broadband network in compliance with specified law.

Existing law also generally imposes requirements on a state or local agency that submits a required or requested report to the Members of either house of the Legislature, including that the report include a summary of its contents.

This bill would provide that the report submitted annually to the budget committees of the Legislature shall be subject to the same requirements as a report that is submitted to Members of either house of the Legislature generally and shall be submitted in compliance with those provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 11549.58 of the Government Code is amended to read:

11549.58.

(a) The department shall provide oversight and policy input for the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network.

(b) (1) Within the department shall be a Deputy Director for Broadband, who shall be appointed by, and hold office at the pleasure of, the Governor.

(2) The Deputy Director for Broadband shall be the primary point of contact for the third-party administrator, the commission, the Department of Transportation, and the Legislature.

(c) (1) The department shall establish a broadband advisory committee to monitor the construction and establishment of the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network.

(2) The broadband advisory committee shall comprise all of the following members:

(A) A representative of the commission.

(B) A representative of the department.

(D) A representative of the Department of Finance.

(E) A representative of the Government Operations Agency.

(F) Two ex officio members, who shall be members of the Assembly and be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. These ex officio members shall serve at the pleasure of the Speaker of the Assembly.

(G) Two ex officio members, who shall be members of the Senate and be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. These ex officio members shall serve at the pleasure of the Senate Committee on Rules.

(3) The representative of the department shall chair the broadband advisory committee.

(d) The broadband advisory committee shall meet no less often than monthly for the first 12 months following the effective date of this section, and shall meet quarterly thereafter.

(e) The third-party administrator shall seek policy advice from the broadband advisory committee.

(f) (1) On or before March 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the office, in consultation with the department and the Department of Finance, shall report to both budget committees of the Legislature all of the following:

(A) The total length of the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network.

(B) The length of the portion of the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network constructed in the preceding year, by quarter.

(D) The number of households projected to connect to the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network.

(E) The total expenditures for each project, by quarter.

(F) The projected goals for each of the metrics described in subparagraphs (A) to (E), inclusive, for the 18 months following the report.

(2) A Notwithstanding the provision in subdivision (a) of Section 9795 that applies the requirements of Section 9795 to reports submitted to the Members of either house of the Legislature generally, a report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be subject to the requirements of Section 9795 and submitted in compliance with Section 9795.