This week in the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance, RCRC testified in support of Assembly Bill 2252, authored by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry (D-Davis), which would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to collect and publish information regarding the restoration of broadband services after a state or local declared disaster. Specifically, the bill would require the CPUC to collect information about the extent of the damage to infrastructure, the type of infrastructure used to restore service and any obstacles encountered by the service provider in repairing or replacing infrastructure after the disaster.
Last year the counties of Alpine and Mono suffered with the lack of internet connectivity restoration after the Tamarack fire swept through their respective communities. Frontier Communications, the broadband provider in the area, took over a month to restore all telecommunication services after the fire knocked out infrastructure. As catastrophic and destructive wildfires become more common place throughout the state, data regarding service restoration becomes increasingly more important to policy makers. AB 2252 ensures that both the telecommunication regulator (CPUC) and the public have access to this essential information. For more information, please contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Tracy Rhine.
RCRC and CSAC’s support letter can be found here.