Last week, California lit up the nation’s largest open-access, public broadband network and connected its first community: the Bishop Paiute Tribe. The Tribe is the first beneficiary of California’s Middle-Mile Broadband Network (MMBN). Students from the Tribe will be among the first to use the network, which is part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Broadband for All initiative.
The Bishop Paiute Tribe maintains a privately-owned broadband service provider and, as such, will independently manage and operate its broadband service, including setting pricing and service offerings for households on and off the reservation.
The new internet service was the result of connecting to a 423-mile segment of the MMBN that runs from Barstow to the Nevada border along Highway 395. The California Department of Technology acquired dormant fiber infrastructure and transformed it for middle-mile usage through major upgrades into a robust, high-capacity backbone now serving rural and Tribal communities throughout the Eastern Sierra Nevada region.
“As the network continues to attract internet service providers, thousands of residents along the Eastern Sierra Nevada and millions more across the state will gain access to more options for reliable and affordable high-speed internet service,” Newsom’s office said in a press release about the California middle-mile project.
“Connecting the Bishop Paiute Tribe as the first customer of California’s middle‑mile broadband network illustrates true partnership and a commitment to serving all corners of California,” added Government Operations Secretary Nick Maduros in the press release. “This milestone reflects the power of working hand in hand with tribal communities to build infrastructure that supports opportunity and long-term connectivity.”
The California Department of Technology has issued a periodic update on its middle-mile and last-mile initiatives.
According to a report last year, nearly 3,100 miles of MMBI had “gone to installation” through the CDT’s joint build, indefeasible right-of-use/lease partnerships, and Caltrans constructions. The total at the time was nearly half of the roughly 8,000 miles that will be deployed.
Additional information about California broadband, including links to state funding resources, grants made, BEAD news, state-specific Telecompetitor coverage, and more can be found on Telecompetitor’s Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
