Telecommunications: California Advanced Services Fund.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations, as defined. Existing law establishes the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the CASF to encourage 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 establishes as the goal of the CASF program to approve funding, no later than December 31, 2015, for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households. Decisions of the commission, including Decision 14-12-039, establish procedures for a party to apply for a grant or loan to finance an infrastructure project that furthers that goal, for a party to challenge that application, and for the commission to select an application through the issuance of a draft resolution for public comment and a subsequent final resolution. This bill would revise the goal of the CASF program to approve funding, no later than December 31, 2020, for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of the number of California households in existence on January 1, 2016. The bill would require the commission to publish an amendment to an application to participate in the program at least 10 days before publishing the corresponding draft resolution.