Citing recent BEAD program changes, California Assembly member Tasha Boerner has pulled her proposed bill that would have mandated that providers offer an inexpensive internet option to people who met certain income guidelines.
“Due to President Trump’s drastic new changes to the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, I have made the difficult decision to shelve my legislation that requires internet service providers to provide affordable home broadband internet to low-income Californians. The new BEAD program regulations push the bounds of federal jurisdiction over state’s rights,” Boerner said in a prepared statement posted on Facebook.
“Although I fundamentally disagree about the federal government’s authority to preempt California’s rights in this space, the change has introduced too much legal uncertainty and put at risk $1.86 billion dollars in federal broadband infrastructure funding,” Boerner added.
Boerner — chair of the state’s Committee on Communications and Conveyance, which oversees broadband, telecom and other areas — introduced Assembly Bill 353 (AB353), an affordable internet bill, to the California Assembly in March, in an attempt to address the gap left by the sunsetting of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which ended in the middle of 2024.
According to the text of AB 353, the proposed bill would have required “every California internet service provider to offer for purchase to eligible households, as defined, within their California service territory affordable home internet service that meets minimum speed requirements.”
The legislation defined “affordable home internet service” as costing no more than $15 per month and “minimum speed requirements” as at least a 100/20 Mbps connection.
Despite dropping the proposed legislation, Boerner said she would keep working to ensure that the state’s existing Lifeline telecommunications program is expanded to support home internet access.
The proposed affordable internet bill had initially made good progress in the California state legislature, passing on the Assembly floor by a 52-17 margin, and advancing to the state Senate.
