California $15 Low-Income Internet Bill Gets a Hearing

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2025 – The California Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance will hear testimony April 30 on a bill that would require internet service providers to offer a low-cost broadband option to qualifying low-income households.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, D-Encinitas, also serves as chair of the committee that will preside over the hearing.

Boerner’s office told Broadband Breakfast there is no public witness list or testimony available at this time. The hearing will be livestreamed via the Assembly’s website next Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. PDT.

Boerner’s California Affordable Home Internet Act (AB 353) would mandate that all fixed internet providers offer service with speeds of at least 100 megabits per second download and 20 Mbps upload for no more than $15 per month, inclusive of recurring taxes and fees.

The bill explicitly excludes mobile broadband providers from this requirement, but – unlike New York’s Affordable Broadband Act – it does not exempt smaller providers.

Eligibility for service would be tied to participation in public assistance programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and Supplemental Security Income.

The bill also requires providers to make “commercially reasonable efforts” to promote the offer, including posting details prominently on websites and in customer materials.

AB 353 will be heard alongside two other telecom bills on April 30:

• AB 470, from Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, which would allow telephone providers to relinquish their status as “Carriers of Last Resort” in areas with alternative voice services.
• AB 654, from Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, D-Los Angeles, which would establish a homelessness resource hotline modeled after 311 non-emergency systems.

The broadband affordability measure comes as state officials evaluate options to sustain internet access for low-income households following the expiration of federal assistance programs.

As of February 2024, about 2.95 million California households were enrolled in the now-expired Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided  monthly internet discounts of $30 to $75 to select low-income households. 

According to federal data, more than 5.8 million California households met ACP income eligibility thresholds, underscoring the potential reach of a state-level affordability mandate.

A recent analysis from the California Public Utilities Commission’s Public Advocates Office estimated that Boerner’s proposal could save California consumers over $1 billion annually, with minimal financial impact on major broadband providers. The report found that the affordability requirement would reduce revenue for the state’s four largest ISPs by less than 1%.