ab1665

One of the perks that telco and cable lobbyists slipped into a broadband infrastructure subsidy bill pending in the California senate is the right to take the first look at proposed projects in unserved rural areas, so they can decide whether or not they want to be the ones to consummate the deal. In medieval times (or at least in the movie Braveheart) something very similar was called jus primae noctis, the right of the first night, where a feudal lord claimed the privilege of taking a newly wedded bride to bed.… More

An effort to turn California’s broadband infrastructure subsidy fund into a monopoly preservation program is stalled, at least for a week. The chair of the California senate’s energy, utilities and communications committee, Ben Hueso (D – San Diego), opened yesterday’s meeting with the announcement that consideration of assembly bill 1665 was postponed until next Tuesday, 18 July 2017. He gave no reason for the delay, but it’s worth noting that dozens of organisations – counties, broadband consortia, independent Internet service providers and others – withdrew their support last week after AT&T and Frontier Communications turned it into a blatant pork barrel bill, instead of the thinly disguised one that was approved by the California assembly.… More

UPDATE: the hearing on AB 1665 was delayed until next week. More info here.

Last week’s amendments to assembly bill 1665 went too far for many of the organisations that were supporting it, particularly those with an interest in developing broadband infrastructure and countering incumbent monopolies. The changes allowed AT&T and Frontier to fence off most of their rural California systems from potential competitors, while getting privileged access to the $300 million in construction subsidies contained in the bill.… More

Get used to it.

AT&T, Frontier Communications and cable companies would be able to freeze broadband development in unserved areas of California and get priority access to broadband subsidy money, under the terms of a newly amended bill to reinstate a tax on phone bills and use the money to top up the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). The latest version of assembly bill 1665 tracks with a draft circulated last week and is designed to freeze out independent broadband infrastructure projects.… More

If you’re going to scam taxpayer money, why not go all the way? That seems to be the rationale of telephone and cable company lobbyists as they, once again, rewrite a proposed law that would effectively funnel $300 million to incumbent cable and telcos, for little or nothing in return.

Assembly bill 1665 began as an attempt to put more money into the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), which provides partial grants – usually 60% to 70% of capital costs – for broadband infrastructure projects in areas where service is either completely lacking or doesn’t meet the California Public Utilities Commission’s minimum 6 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload standard.… More

The California assembly voted to lower the state’s minimum Internet standard to 6 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speeds. By a vote of 67 to 5, and with eight members abstaining, assembly bill 1665 was approved and sent onto the senate last week. It only needed 54 yes votes to pass. All five noes and eight abstentions came from republicans, but a dozen others joined with democrats to vote in favor.

AB 1665 reinstates a tax on phone bills that’ll pay for adding $330 million to the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), the state’s primary broadband infrastructure subsidy program.… More

It was too much to hide.

Slower Internet speed standards and rules designed to funnel broadband subsidy money to AT&T and Frontier Communications are queued up to be decided by the California assembly. The appropriations committee released assembly bill 1665 from the "suspense file" last week and sent it on to a full floor vote, which could happen as early as today. Only one committee member dissented – William Brough (R – Orange County) voted no.… More