Last week witnessed a significant evolution in California’s digital legislation. Governor Gavin Newsom successfully signed California’s “broadband” permit processing bill (AB 965) into law, warranting a strategic shift in the way broadband permit applications are processed by local agencies. However, in contradiction with his previous stance of technological progress, the Governor vetoed AB 41, an update to the State Video Franchising Law.
According to JD Supra, the bill AB 965 will be in effect from January 1, 2024 and will entail an organized system known as “batch broadband permit processing”. This process essentially entails that local agencies must review between two and as many as 50 broadband permit applications which are substantially similar, simultaneously, rather than individually, expediting the entire process under a single permit.
Those in favor argue this will be a crucial step in accelerating the build-out of critically needed broadband infrastructure. Encouraging operators to submit multiple permit applications for similar project sites simultaneously could significantly expedite the deployment of broadband networks in California.
Despite the positive outlook for AB 965, the situation did not reflect the same for AB 41. This proposed modification to the State Video Franchising Law was intended to update the conventional cable franchises into present-day video franchises. While there was no explicit reasoning behind the Governor’s veto, it nonetheless marks a pause in the evolution of video franchising laws in the state.
As the digital landscape continues on an accelerated trajectory, the importance of laws that enable efficiency and progression has never been clearer. With AB 965, California moves forward in evolving its broadband provisioning. However, the veto of AB 41 leaves unresolved aspects of digital franchising still up for debate.