Virtual Press Conference to Announce AB 34

"Today, I, along with Assemblymembers Miguel Santiago and Eduardo Garcia, hosted a virtual press conference to announce my AB 34, the California Broadband for All Bond Act of 2022, a $10 billion general obligation bond measure to help close the digital divide throughout California.

Speakers in support of AB 34 included State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, California School Board Association President-elect Dr. Susan Heredia, and California State Association of Counties representative and Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo.Assembly Bill (AB) 34 will invest in broadband infrastructure throughout California and increase access to high-speed internet, prioritizing unserved and disadvantaged communities to help close the digital divide. The bill will help jumpstart the state’s economic recovery and support public education, telecommuting, telehealth and telemedicine, emergency response and preparedness, and other vital services. AB 34 will be heard and voted on in the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance, chaired by AB 34 joint author

Assemblymember Santiago, in April 2021.

California needs to go big and bold to close the digital divide and jumpstart the economic recovery. This pandemic has highlighted enormous disparities in access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet, especially in rural and low-income urban communities. As the ‘Innovation State’, California should lead by significantly increasing its investment in public broadband infrastructure -- the Infrastructure of the 21st Century -- to provide affordable and reliable access to the internet for all Californians."