California Advanced Services Fund.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law establishes, among other funds related to telecommunications, the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the CASF to encourage the deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies, as provided in specified decisions of the commission and in the CASF statute. Existing law requires the commission to give priority to projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved by an existing facilities-based broadband provider. Existing law establishes that the goal of the program is, no later than December 31, 2015, to approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households. Existing law authorizes the commission to collect a surcharge for deposit into the CASF not to exceed $315,000,000 in total, authorizes the surcharge until 2020, and requires that those moneys be deposited into 3 specified accounts within the CASF, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to transfer a total of $25,000,000 from 2 of those accounts to a 4th account, the Broadband Public Housing Account, which is also in the CASF, but only if the commission is otherwise authorized to collect moneys for CASF purposes in excess of $315,000,000. This bill would repeal the condition that the commission must be authorized to collect more than $315,000,000 for CASF purposes before transferring the $25,000,000 to the Broadband Public Housing Account.