North Coast Journal: Bill to Fund Broadband Infrastructure Moves Forward
The California Senate Committee on Energy Utilities and Communications approved a bill (SB 1130) that would allocate $300 million to fund broadband infrastructure "where none currently provides the service," reads a press release from Access Humboldt.
According to the release, North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire voted in favor of the measure, which is supported by Access Humboldt and the California Center for Rural Policy, along with 30 other organizations.
"The pandemic has clearly shown us that California is overdue to build the networks we need to provide universal access to open, secure internet,' Access Humboldt's Executive Director Sean Taketa McLaughlin said in the release. "Thanks to our State Sen. Mike McGuire for his support of the measure today. Clearly, we cannot afford to leave students behind, to leave workers behind, to leave healthcare behind, to leave our families behind. Our communities cannot afford to be uninformed or misinformed. Robust, resilient broadband media are necessary for our community and our anchor institutions, including local media, to meet local needs for public health & safety, for education, for community and economic development; for culture and arts, and for civic engagement."
The bill will need to go to a full vote on the Senate floor before advancing to the Assembly for further consideration.