On Wednesday, RCRC sent comments to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on its Rulemaking considering changes to the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). The CASF provides qualified service providers with financial grants to construct the infrastructure necessary to deploy broadband service to unserved and underserved areas. Funding for the CASF is derived from a small surcharge on residents monthly phone bills.
RCRC, which has long advocated for the continuation of the CASF program during legislative deliberations, seeks long-term solutions to resolve broadband connectivity barriers, especially for rural and remote regions that lack the requisite infrastructure for wireless service. RCRC advocated for the CPUC to open a new rulemaking to consider changes in data and circumstances affecting the CASF program, including the need to modify the program funding structure, rules, and eligibility requirements to better serve rural jurisdictions. It is paramount, for instance, that local governments have equivalent eligibility for broadband project funding to allow for the creation of municipal fiber networks in high-cost, unserved, and underserved, areas of the state.
RCRC’s full comments can be accessed here.