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Committee backs measure to require reporting of broadband pricing and speed data to improve transparency
Summary
AB 1271 received a due-pass recommendation after supporters described large gaps between advertised and actual broadband speeds and argued standardized, public data is needed so consumers, local governments and the state can assess affordability and deployment.
The Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance on a committee vote recommended AB 1271, which would require broadband Internet service providers to report key pricing and speed-performance data to the Department of Consumer Affairs and ensure public access to that information consistent with the California Public Records Act.
Assemblymember Rob Bonta, the author, said the bill requires providers to report standardized pricing and speed information to the Department of Consumer Affairs and includes legislative findings acknowledging that multiple factors can affect speed. Bonta said the amendments added protections for personal and proprietary information and a standardized template developed by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Patrick Messick, director of Oakland Undivided and representative of the California Alliance for Digital Equity (CADE), testified in support and described in-depth speed-testing results in affordable housing communities in Oakland. Messick said his group’s testing found more than 75% of connections never reached the threshold to be considered served and that wealthier ZIP codes often received higher-speed connections at lower cost than poorer neighborhoods. He said that, in one case, a provider’s speed increased when the provider accompanied a site visit, and that the resident later was charged an extra $30 after exceeding a data cap.
Other witnesses registering support included the Michelson Center for Public Policy and NextGen California. The bill drew no in-room opposition during the hearing.
Committee members praised the bill’s intent but cautioned that standardizing speed testing and reporting is technically complicated and that many consumer experiences are affected by factors outside a provider’s direct control. The committee moved the bill with a motion by Assemblymember Rogers, seconded by Assemblymember Hoover. On the roll call, Berner; Hoover; Arons; Bonta; Colosa; Garcia; Lowenthal; Rogers; and Rubio were recorded as voting aye, Castillo recorded as not voting. The committee’s action was a due-pass recommendation as amended, and AB 1271 was referred to the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions.
Supporters told the committee the measure is intended to give consumers and local governments reliable data to plan investments, identify affordability gaps and hold providers to advertised performance. The bill’s supporters described large datasets of speed tests showing geographic and income-based disparities; the committee record did not include consumer rate schedules or a cost estimate for implementation.
