Mark Monroe Guides Ahead-of-Schedule Middle Mile Program

During the days in advance of the California Broadband Summit, Broadband Breakfast is profiling the leading state officials and their roles in California broadband.

June 5, 2024 – California’s middle-mile broadband program is ahead of schedule, the state says. But a budget proposal from the governor’s office adds uncertainty to the effort.

The state’s Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative was stood up in 2021. A full $6 billion was allocated by the state for expanding broadband access, with $3.25 billion of that set aside by the state for an open-access, middle-mile fiber network. An additional $550 million was added to that the next year, followed by $73 million more from a federal grant in 2023.