AB 2279: California Advanced Services Fund: Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia Grant Account.

The bill aims to expand the rural and urban regional broadband consortia grant account in the California Advanced Services Fund to facilitate the deployment of broadband services. The moneys in the account will be available for grants to eligible consortia to assist infrastructure applicants in the project development or grant application process. The consortia will be authorized to undertake activities that promote broadband adoption in specified areas, including infrastructure project areas, neighborhoods, and communities identified by jurisdictions. The commission will allocate sufficient funds to provide multi-year grants to eligible consortia, requiring them to engage and regularly convene specified representatives and implement an approved regional work plan. The annual base funding grant per consortium will be at least $200,000, with increased amounts based on the number of unser…