The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has created a pilot program to help provide broadband to eligible low-income households.
The three-year pilot, which will be run through the California LifeLine program, is technology neutral and allows participants to use the subsidy for any broadband plan that meets the program’s standards.
The California broadband pilot program subsidy amounts:
- $20 subsidy for broadband service.
- $30 for broadband service bundled with a wireline or wireless voice service. Bundles must be offered by the same provider.
- Reimbursement for new connections, up to $39, once per year per household.
The minimum service standards:
- 100/20 Mbps with 1,280 GB usage per month.
- Exception for areas where 100/20 Mbps is not feasible.
- Exception for low-cost plans.
“Broadband is essential for work, school, health, and safety,” CPUC President Alice Reynolds said in a press release. “This pilot program will play a key role in achieving the goal of connecting Californians.”
A CPUC report referenced in the press release about the pilot program said that, as of April 2025, almost 20% of households in California earning less than $20,000 annually do not subscribe to broadband service. That roughly doubles the 2.4% with incomes above $75,000.
The state is scrambling due to the uncertainty of the Trump’s administration’s approach to the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD). In late July, California Assembly member Tasha Boerner announced that changes in the program led her to pull her support for a proposed bill that would have mandated that providers offer an inexpensive internet option to people who met certain income guidelines.
The uncertainty surrounding BEAD led 10 Democratic members of the House of Representatives to send a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) head Arielle Roth seeking clarifications on the status of nondeployment expenses. The new California broadband pilot program clearly fits into this category.
