BILL NUMBER: AB 2773INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Quirk FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to amend Section 884 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to broadband services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2773, as introduced, Quirk. Broadband services. Existing law establishes the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the State Treasury, requires that moneys from the fund only be expended upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation, and requires that the moneys appropriated be utilized exclusively by the commission for authorized teleconnect programs. Existing law authorizes the commission to expend up to $2,000,000 of the unencumbered amount of those funds for the nonrecurring installation costs for high-speed broadband services for community organizations that are eligible for discounted rates, as specified. Existing law defines "high-speed broadband services" for these purposes to mean a system for the digital transmission of information over the Internet at a speed of at least 384 kilobits per second. This bill would change the minimum speed in that definition from 384 kilobits per second to 500 kilobits per second. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 884 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read: 884. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that any program administered by the commission that addresses the inequality of access to high-speed broadband services by providing those services to schools and libraries at a discounted price, provide comparable discounts to a nonprofit community technology program. (b) Notwithstanding any other law or existing program of the commission, but consistent with the purposes for which those funds were appropriated from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund in Item 8660-001-0493 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2003 (Chapter 157 of the Statutes of 2003), and reappropriated in Item 8660-491 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2006 (Chapter 47 of the Statutes of 2006), the commission may expend up to two million dollars ($2,000,000) of the unencumbered amount of those funds for the nonrecurring installation costs for high-speed broadband services for community organizations that are eligible for discounted rates pursuant to Section 280. (c) For the purpose of this section: (1) "High-speed broadband services" means a system for the digital transmission of information over the Internet at a speed of at least384500 kilobits per second. (2) "Nonprofit community technology program" means a community-based nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and engages in diffusing technology into local communities and training local communities that have no access to, or have limited access to, the Internet and advanced telecommunications technologies.