Feds Want California to Give Up 14 Years of Broadband Protections. It Should Sue
5 hours ago
- California faces a choice: accept $1.42 billion in federal broadband funding or maintain its state net neutrality, affordability, and public safety protections.
- Condition 50 in the funding agreement would prevent California from enforcing these laws against major ISPs for 14 years, covering all their services statewide.
- The condition stems from a Verizon throttling incident during the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire, which led to California's first responder protection law.
- Accepting the funding would shield providers like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, and SpaceX from state enforcement, including affordability requirements and net neutrality rules.
- California would lose billions in potential savings for low-income households (e.g., $4.2 billion over 10 years from a single Verizon plan), far exceeding the $1.42 billion grant.
- The state can challenge Condition 50 in court before signing, arguing it contradicts federal law that requires compliance with all state laws.
- Governor Newsom has until September 30, with a possible 30-day extension, to decide whether to accept or challenge the condition.
- Rejecting the condition and going to court would allow California to keep its protections and still receive the funding.