As noted, providing quality affordable internet access for all in the US is a multi-stage, multiphased, multipart endeavor. There’s nothing simple about it, other than the dream of what such access will bring to all citizens.
California has funded that endeavor with $6B which is divided into two piles: the middle mile infrastructure and the last mile to the residence/ home infrastructure. They are making the middle mile “net neutral” and the last mile is done by ISPs, both through CA funding.
Will the last mile provide for some form of anti-monopoly arrangement for access to online services? Or will monopoly ISP providers be able to charge “whatever they like” to captive users as they currently do in much of the US?
Will CA do better with this than they have done trying to build out high-speed train service in that huge state with a huge population? One might expect some locations will have better results than others, and it remains to be seen if $6B is “real money” for a project this big, and if depending on the private sector to invest enough to make it all work out will come with too many strings attached.
But the perfect is the enemy of the good when it comes to legislation, which is always problematic in the final passed version.
Kudos to Gary for the link.
California legislature approves ‘historic’ broadband internet bill - The Verge