Broadband ISPs should be held to a higher public interest standard and regulated like traditional utilities in California, a new joint study by nonprofit state policy news outlet Cal Matters and UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab argues.
The study specifically looked at the broadband sector in California, where 15 percent of California households – predominately in low income and minority communities – lack broadband access. This neglect has resulted in a stark digital divide between affluent and marginalized communities across rural and urban communities alike. Data has consistently shown that lower income, marginalized communities often wind up paying significantly more money for notably slower service than their more affluent, less diverse counterparts. The study concludes that dramatic federal and state policy failures have resulted in unchecked monopolies and muted competition that directly harms the public interest. It urges state leaders to aggressively embrace municipal broadband cooperatives to address regionalized market failure and improve overall accountability.
Read Abundant Home Broadband for All Californians: A Pathway to Digital Prosperity [pdf].