Assembly BillFailedBusiness and Professions
AB 1271: Communications: broadband internet service providers.
What AB 1271 does, verified February 3, 2026
The bill aims to improve broadband internet service in California by requiring internet service providers to provide consumers with detailed information about their services. This includes submitting annual reports on pricing and speed data, which will be made publicly available. The bill also establishes a dedicated consumer complaint resolution process, requiring providers to respond to complaints within seven business days and provide a resolution or explanation. If a complaint remains unresolved for 60 days, consumers may be eligible for a minimum credit of $50. The bill also requires providers to clearly disclose their complaint resolution process and remedies on their website, terms of service, and billing statements.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
2In CommitteeCurrent
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. (2026-02-02)Alert me
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| Feb. 02, 2026 | From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| Jan. 31, 2026 | Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. |
| May. 23, 2025 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 14, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| May. 01, 2025 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 30, 2025 · 1,988 words
| Amended IN Assembly April 30, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 21, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 10, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 28, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1271
| Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta |
February 21, 2025 |
An act to add Chapter 8.2 (commencing with Section 21220) to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to communications.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1271, as amended, Bonta. Communications: broadband internet service providers.
Existing law, the Digital Equity Bill of Rights, provides that it is the principle of the state to ensure digital equity for all residents of the state, that, among other things, residents have access to broadband that meets specific requirements, and provides that it is the policy of the state that, to the extent technically feasible, broadband internet subscribers benefit from equal access to broadband internet service within the service area of a broadband provider.
This bill bill, contingent upon funding for this purpose, would require a broadband internet service provider, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Department of Consumer Affairs Affairs, or the Department of Broadband and Digital Equity if Assembly Bill 693 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted, a report containing broadband internet access service pricing and speed data that includes, among other information, the advertised speeds offered to consumers and the advertised and total prices paid by consumers. The bill would require the department to publish an annual broadband internet access service affordability and speed report aggregating and analyzing the data submitted by the broadband internet service providers and would require the department to make the data submitted by broadband internet service providers available to the public, as specified. The bill would make a broadband internet service provider that fails to comply with these provisions subject to an administrative penalty not to exceed $1,000 per violation per day until compliance is achieved.
This bill would require a broadband internet service provider to establish and maintain a dedicated consumer complaint resolution process that allows consumers to submit complaints via telephone, email, and an online portal, and would require a broadband internet service provider to respond to a complaint within 7 business days and provide a resolution, explanation, or corrective action within a specified timeframe. The bill would prescribe remedies for a consumer if a broadband internet service provider fails to resolve a complaint within the specified timeframe or refuses to act in good faith, including the issuance of a minimum credit of $50 for a complaint that remains unresolved beyond 60 days without valid justification. The bill would require a broadband internet service provider to disclose the complaint resolution process and remedies clearly and conspicuously in its terms of service, in its billing statements, and on its internet website. The bill would require a broadband internet service provider to report quarterly complaint statistics to the department, as specified.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares as follows:(a) Californians receive their broadband internet access service from a variety of providers utilizing various technologies to deliver the service to residences and businesses.
(b) A variety of factors may negatively impact the speed performance of a subscriber’s broadband internet access service including the type of device being used, other hardware issues, equipment, network traffic, software issues, signal interference, physical obstructions, and user error.
(c) While not all factors that influence a subscriber’s speed performance are directly attributable to the broadband internet service provider, customers have a reasonable expectation that their provider will reliably provide the advertised speeds for their contracted plan that is purchased so that the service can be accessed with their devices.
(d) It is in the public interest to ensure that subscribers of broadband internet access service reliably receive the speeds they pay for, are fully informed about the pricing structure for their plans, and have access to affordable broadband that meets their connectivity needs.
SEC. 2.
Chapter 8.2 (commencing with Section 21220) is added to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, to read:CHAPTER 8.2. Broadband Internet Service Providers
21220.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:(a) “Broadband internet access service” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 3100 of the Civil Code.
(b) “Broadband internet service provider” means any entity that provides broadband internet access service to an individual, corporation, government, or other customer in the state.
(c) “Broadband pricing and speed data” means information related to the following:
(1) Advertised speeds by plan.
(2) Speed performance experienced by customers.
(3) Promotional pricing by plan.
(4) Total pricing for broadband internet access services paid by a customer per plan, inclusive of all fees, surcharges, and additional charges assessed on the customer, either as standalone broadband service or the broadband service component of bundled service offerings.
(5) Plan structures, including bundled service offerings and discounts.
(6) The most commonly purchased broadband internet access service plans aggregated to the census tract level.
(d) “Consumer complaint” means any written or electronic complaint submitted by a consumer to a broadband internet service provider regarding any of the following:
(1) Service quality issues, including slow speeds, frequent outages, or failure to meet advertised performance.
(2) Billing discrepancies, including hidden fees, overcharges, unauthorized charges, or misleading promotional pricing.
(3) Contractual disputes, including price increases after a promotional period, early termination fees, or failure to disclose terms and conditions.
(4) Customer service failures, including repeated unresponsiveness, lack of resolution, or failure to comply with California consumer protection laws.
(e) “Department” means an identified program within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Affairs, unless Assembly Bill 693 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted, in which case, “department” means the Department of Broadband and Digital Equity.
(f) “Machine-readable format” means a structured data format that can be processed by a computer without human intervention, including, but not limited to, JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), comma-separated values (CSV), or Extensible Markup Language (XML) formats.
(g) “Speed performance” means the speed delivered to the customer.
21221.
(a) A broadband internet service provider operating in the state shall, on or before January 1, 2027, and then annually, submit to the department a report containing broadband internet access service pricing and speed data at the census tract or address level in a machine-readable format. The report shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:(1) The advertised speeds offered to consumers.
(2) Speed performance.
(3) The advertised and total price paid by consumers, including all fees and surcharges.
(4) A breakdown of broadband internet access service plans offered to consumers at the census-tract or address level, including standalone, bundled, and eligibility-based plans.
(5) The number of consumer complaints received pursuant to Section 21224, the types of complaints, the average resolution time, and the number of unresolved complaints exceeding 60 days.
(b) The department may conduct audits and require broadband internet service providers to provide supporting documentation to verify compliance with this section.
(c) Implementation of this section is contingent upon sufficient funding being appropriated by the Legislature to the department in the annual Budget Act or other statute for that purpose.
21222.
(a) The department shall publish an annual broadband internet access service affordability and speed report aggregating and analyzing the data submitted pursuant to Section 21221.(b) The data submitted pursuant to Section 21221 shall be made available to the public by the department in an open data format, subject to the protection of proprietary business information and personally identifying information, and consistent with the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).
(c) Implementation of this section is contingent upon sufficient funding being appropriated by the Legislature to the department in the annual Budget Act or other statute for that purpose.
21223.
(a) A broadband internet service provider that fails to comply with Section 21221, including, but not limited to, failure to submit required data, submission of incomplete or misleading data, or failure to cooperate with audits conducted pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 21221, shall be subject to an administrative penalty by the department not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), per violation per day until compliance is achieved.(b) The department shall adopt a data reporting template for entities to report the broadband pricing and speed data to the department. The template shall be in an open data format that shall be readily accessible to the public.
(c) The department may adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement and enforce Sections 21221 and 21222.
(d) Implementation of this section is contingent upon sufficient funding being appropriated by the Legislature to the department in the annual Budget Act or other statute for that purpose.
21224.
(a) A broadband internet service provider shall establish and maintain a dedicated consumer complaint resolution process that allows customers to submit consumer complaints via telephone, email, and an online portal.(b) A broadband internet service provider shall provide consumers with a tracking number for each consumer complaint and an estimated timeline for resolution.
(c) A broadband internet service provider shall respond to a consumer complaint within seven business days and provide a resolution, explanation, or corrective action within 30 days of receipt.
(d) If a consumer complaint cannot be resolved within 30 days, the broadband internet service provider shall provide the consumer with a written explanation of the delay and an updated resolution timeline, not to exceed 60 days from the initial complaint submission.
21225.
(a) If a broadband internet service provider fails to resolve a consumer complaint within the timeframe specified in Section 21224 or refuses to act in good faith, the consumer is entitled to one or more of the following remedies:(1) For billing disputes, a refund for overcharges, undisclosed fees, or improper billing practices.
(2) For service failures or service quality issues, prorated credits or full refunds for periods of nonservice or substandard service, or replacement of provider-issued hardware, including modems or routers, at no cost to the consumer, if the equipment is determined to be the likely cause of degraded service.
(3) For breach of contract, waiver of early termination fees when the broadband internet service provider fails to uphold its service agreement.
(b) A broadband internet service provider shall issue a minimum credit of fifty dollars ($50) to any consumer whose complaint remains unresolved beyond 60 days without valid justification.
21226.
(b)A broadband internet service provider shall report quarterly complaint statistics to the department that include the number of consumer complaints received, the types of complaints, the average resolution time, and the number of unresolved complaints exceeding 60 days.
SEC. 3.
The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which adds Section 21222 to the Business and Professions Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:In order to protect the confidentiality of consumers and the proprietary information of businesses subject to this act, it is necessary that this act limit the public’s right of access to proprietary business information, protected personal information, and personally identifiable information.
Text of AB 1271 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions