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Committee advances bill requiring providers to report broadband pricing and speed data
Summary
The committee gave AB 1271 a do-pass recommendation; the bill would require broadband providers to report standardized pricing and speed-performance data to the Department of Consumer Affairs and make public data access consistent with the California Public Records Act while protecting personal and proprietary information.
AB 1271, authored by Assemblymember Bonta, received a do-pass-as-amended recommendation from the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee and was referred to the Committee on Business and Professions.
The bill requires broadband internet service providers to submit key pricing and speed-performance data to the Department of Consumer Affairs and directs the department to publish accessible, privacy-protected datasets in line with the California Public Records Act. Committee amendments add legislative findings recognizing multiple factors that affect speeds and clarify protections for personal and proprietary information; a standardized reporting template developed by the Department of Consumer Affairs would be used to give the department flexibility.
Assemblymember Bonta described AB 1271 as a consumer-transparency measure that would help consumers, local governments and the state understand actual speeds, costs and affordability gaps. “Without that data, consumers can't make informed choices, local governments can't plan smart investments, and the state can't identify and address affordability gaps or deployment failures,” Bonta said.
Patrick Messek, director of Oakland Undivided and a member of the California Alliance for Digital Equity, testified that local speed testing found large disparities. “We found that over 75% of Internet connections we tested never reached the speed threshold to be considered served,” Messek said, and described testing that showed wealthier ZIP codes receiving substantially higher bandwidth than poorer neighborhoods for similar or lower cost.
Supporters said standardized, public reporting would make it harder for providers to misrepresent performance and would help target public investment. Witnesses included representatives from the Michelson Center for Public Policy, NextGen California and the California Alliance for Digital Equity, and the Communications Workers of America.
The committee recorded a do-pass recommendation as amended; the vote was recorded with nine ayes and one not voting. The bill will move to the Business and Professions Committee for further review.
Votes at a glance: motion to do pass AB 1271 as amended (mover: Assemblymember Rogers; second: Assemblymember Hoover) — outcome: passed; tally: 9 ayes, 0 no, 1 not voting (Castillo).
If approved downstream, the measure would require the Department of Consumer Affairs to develop reporting templates, ensure protections for consumers and proprietary data, and make de-identified performance and price data publicly accessible to inform policy and consumer choice.
