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  "description": "State lawmaker points finger at the Trump administration.",
  "path": "/californias-affordable-broadband-bill-dead-for-2025/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-07-17T14:49:20.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
  "tags": [
    "_least not this year._",
    "_California Affordable Home Internet Act_",
    "_D-Encinitas_",
    "_New York’s 2021 Affordable Broadband Act._",
    "_****There's a whole community behind your FREE membership...****_",
    "There's a whole community behind your FREE membership...",
    "_June 6 changes_",
    "_helping ISPs unable to meet the faster upload speeds._",
    "_California Alliance for Digital Equity’s_",
    "_the Institute for Local Self-Reliance._",
    "_a new bill_",
    "_California’s LifeLine program_"
  ],
  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, July 17, 2025 – Low-income Californians won’t be paying $15-a-month for internet pursuant to state law, at _least not this year._\n\nThe _California Affordable Home Internet Act_, a bill introduced in January 2025 by Assembly Member **Tasha Boerner,**_D-Encinitas_, closely resembled _New York’s 2021 Affordable Broadband Act._Both bills required Internet Service Providers to offer $15-per-month broadband plans to low-income households participating in public assistance programs, though speed requirement differed.\n\nBut unlike New York’s law, which made it through the courts, California’s Affordable Broadband Bill officially died at the state level.\n\n\n\n_****There's a whole community behind your FREE membership...****_\n\n There's a whole community behind your FREE membership... \n\nBoerner told _Broadband Breakfast_ on Tuesday that the bill is no longer moving forward and blamed its failure on the Trump administration’s _June 6 changes_to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.\n\n.“For all intents and purposes, for this year, it is not moving forward,” Boerner said.\n\nAccording to Boerner, she faced a dilemma: Either advance her broadband bill or risk jeopardizing California’s reception of its $1.8 billion BEAD funding.\n\nShe said discussions with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration last week revealed to her that California ISPs applying for a BEAD grant would be able to exempt themselves from the bill.\n\n“So, last week I made the very difficult decision to hold my bill in committee,” Boerner said.\n\n###  _Bill passed State Assembly, but faced pushback from ISPs_\n\nThe bill, which passed the State Assembly on June 4 in a 52–17 vote, faced pushback from ISPs.\n\nInternet providers like Charter Communications, Cox, Verizon, and AT&T heavily lobbied for amendments to the bill that would work in their favor. One such amendment lowered the definition of broadband from 100 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, to a much slower 50 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up– _helping ISPs unable to meet the faster upload speeds._\n\n“By setting this new, substandard bar for low-income Californians, AB 353 will lock communities into second-class connectivity,” _California Alliance for Digital Equity’s_ **Lindsey Skolnik** told _the Institute for Local Self-Reliance._\n\nDespite this setback, Boerner said she is not backing down. She’s now working with Sen. **Maria Elena Durazo** , D-Calif., on _a new bill_to expand _California’s LifeLine program_, which offers discounted phone services to low-income households, to also cover smartphones and home internet.\n\nThe proposed bill would require ISPs to offer 100/20 Mbps plans for $30 a month. After removing the $19 lifeline subsidy, the total cost would be $11 a month – $4 less than CAHIA’s $15 cap.\n\n“I'm still singularly focused on making sure Californians have the access to broadband that they need,” Boerner said.",
  "title": "California’s Affordable Broadband Bill Dead for 2025",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-11T05:49:37.107Z"
}