Calif. Legislators Pass Broadband, Social Media Bills

California legislators passed several telecom bills in their chambers of origin Monday. The Assembly voted 73-0 for AB-2750 to require the California Department of Technology to develop a state digital equity plan. The Assembly voted 71-0 for AB-2752 to require the California Public Utilities Commission to maintain an interactive map of all last-mile connections from the state’s middle-mile network. The Assembly voted 51-0, with 27 members not voting, for a bill (AB-2408) that would make social media platforms civilly liable for addicting children to their websites. The Senate voted 36-0 for SB-857 to extend California High-Cost Fund A and B programs, set to expire Jan. 1, until Jan. 1, 2028 (see 2204040040). Senators voted 25-3 for SB-884 to require the CPUC to establish an electric undergrounding program that requires telecom providers to cooperate with the power company to put non-wireless infrastructure underground and pay proportionate costs. Meanwhile, the Electronic Frontier Foundation opposed a bill (AB-2749) to revise the CPUC’s review process for California Advanced Services Fund grant applications. The bill, ordered Monday to a third and final reading in the Assembly, would amend the state’s last-mile broadband funding program by restricting the CPUC from requiring providers to offer affordable plans to all residents and forcing the state to treat wireless on equal terms as fiber, EFF said Monday.