California Public Utilities Code 281.6 – (a) The commission, in collaboration with relevant state …
(a) The commission, in collaboration with relevant state agencies and stakeholders, shall maintain and update a statewide, publicly accessible, and interactive map showing the accessibility of broadband service in the state, including, but not limited to, information identifying the percentage of each census block that has broadband service meeting federal and state standards. The map shall identify, for each address in the state, each provider of broadband services that offers service at the address and the maximum speed of broadband services offered by each provider of broadband services at the address.
(b) The map required pursuant to subdivision (a) shall also include all of the following features to receive self-reported data:
Terms Used In California Public Utilities Code 281.6
- Commission: means the Public Utilities Commission created by §. See California Public Utilities Code 20
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Public Utilities Code 17
- Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Public Utilities Code 10
(1) A feature for users to disclose how much they pay for stand-alone or bundled broadband service.
(2) A feature for users to identify the internet service provider to which they subscribe for broadband service.
(3) A feature for users to disclose the maximum speed for broadband service to which they subscribe.
(4) A feature that allows individuals to refute the broadband speed or technology, or both, that an internet service provider claims to offer at an address.
(5) A feature that allows individuals to identify barriers to broadband access.
(c) The features and self-reported data required pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (h) shall be made publicly available and expressed at the address for which the data was submitted. The commission shall obtain consent from an individual before publicly disclosing information that the individual submits pursuant to subdivision (b) or (h).
(d) The commission may collect from providers of broadband services information necessary to establish and update the map required pursuant to this section.
(e) The commission shall also create a notification feature on the map for individuals. Using this feature, an individual may sign up to be notified when updates are made to the map.
(f) The commission may collect information from providers of broadband services at the address level.
(g) The commission shall not, pursuant to subdivision (a), (d), or (e), disclose residential subscriber information protected by Section 2891.
(h) The map required pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include a feature for users to submit a verified speed test at their location.
(i) The commission shall not accept information collected by the commission pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) as evidence in a commission proceeding unless the commission validates the accuracy of the self-reported information.
(j) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Broadband” has the same meaning as defined in Section 5830.
(2) “Verified speed test” means a broadband speed performance test result that was measured and verified using a reputable application specified by the commission for that purpose.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 645, Sec. 1. (AB 286) Effective January 1, 2024.)