Demonstrating the urgency and collaboration appropriate to the
task, the state has announced the first 18 sections for the
statewide open-access middle-mile network just a few short months
after the network was authorized by SB 156.
Middle-mile infrastructure will not provide broadband service
directly to consumers, but it will make it faster and cheaper for
all internet service providers to provide last-mile service to
both unserved and underserved households, as well as those who
currently live in a broadband monopoly.
The
18 projects would establish the network in twenty-three
counties across the state in both urban and rural areas. The
locations were developed by the CPUC in collaboration with the
network administrator, the California Department of Technology
(CDT), and Caltrans. The locations of the initial sections are
based on where the network can be built quickly, including where
Caltrans is already planning highway work and where last-mile
projects are being considered, and on serving unserved areas that
have great need.
CSAC’s response to the announcement applauded this first step
in building what has been called a “road to everywhere” that will
transform the way schools, small businesses, healthcare
organizations, and others can provide goods and services
statewide. Currently, more than two million Californians, both
urban and rural, are caught in the digital divide without access
to broadband at modern speeds, and 15 million more are at the
mercy of provider monopolies.
