Our Advocacy

Legislative Priorities

Since being founded in 2022, CADE has engaged in California policymaking in an effort to advance digital equity across the state.

CADE’s legislative activity is rooted in the following priorities:

Protecting Against Digital Discrimination

  • We support legislation that would make California the first state in the nation to clearly define digital discrimination and prohibit it.
  • We are driven by consistent, replicative, statewide empirical data which clearly demonstrates a pattern of digital discrimination in certain communities.

Reforming the State Law Known as the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA)

  • We encourage requiring broadband infrastructure buildout in historically underserved or underinvested DIVCA service areas to meet the needs of California’s growing and shifting population.
  • We support modernizing DIVCA’s franchise application process.
  • We call for integrating FCC-based anti-discrimination provisions into DIVCA.

Improving Broadband Data Collection & Mapping

  • We seek the use of crowdsourced broadband data to identify unserved and underserved communities and to verify broadband speed and reliability tests, rather than solely utilizing internet service providers’ broadband data.
  • We support legislation that improves broadband data transparency requirements.

Expanding Broadband Affordability, Access & Reliability

  • We call for policies that advance equal broadband access across all rural, suburban, and urban communities.
  • We support policies that empower tribal communities to advance broadband solutions that are best suited for them.
  • We support vastly increasing competition in the broadband markets across the state to provide higher quality service standards that ensure all residents have numerous internet service options at competitive and affordable price points.
  • We condemn digital redlining, and call for the recognition of digital redlining practices as well as the elimination of them.

Key Bill Positions

2025-2026

ACA 9 (Boerner)

This constitutional amendment would deregulate telecommunications in California, undermine the state’s utility regulatory authority on telecommunications, and threaten many California Public Utilities Commission broadband programs, policies, and consumer protections.
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ACA 9 (Boerner)
2025-2026

AB 1303 (Valencia)

The bill would protect and expand essential communications access to the California LifeLine Program for millions of low-income households statewide.
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AB 1303 (Valencia)
2025-2026

AB 470 (McKinnor)

This bill would allow AT&T to abandon its “Carrier of Last Resort” (COLR) commitment to providing basic telephone service to California residents.
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AB 470 (McKinnor)

CDT & CPUC Engagement

CADE has closely followed, engaged with, and provided feedback on many of California’s Broadband for All initiatives overseen by the California Department of Technology and the California Public Utilities Commission, including:

  • State Digital Equity Plan (SDEP)
  • Middle Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI)
  • California Broadband Council
  • Last Mile / Federal Funding Account (FFA)
  • Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD)

We have also weighed in on CPUC proceedings relating to priority digital equity issues, including: