BEFORE THE
NATIONAL INFORMATION AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
AND
RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 Broadband Initiatives;
Broadband Technology Opportunities
Program;

COMMENTS OF CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER AND THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA

Attorney for the People
Of The State Of California And
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 703-3700
Fax: (415) 703-3352

BEFORE THE
NATIONAL INFORMATION AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
AND
RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 Broadband Initiatives;
Broadband Technology Opportunities
Program;

COMMENTS OF CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER AND THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA

The State of California files the following comments in response to the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service
(RUS) notice in the Federal Register1 soliciting comments on specific questions regarding
the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA or Recovery Act). The Recovery Act requires NTIA initiate the
Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to accelerate broadband
deployment to unserved and underserved areas and ensure that institutions strategically
placed to create jobs and provide other public benefits have broadband access. BTOP has
five overarching purposes: 1) extend broadband access to unserved areas; 2) provide

improved access in underserved areas; 3) provide education, training, equipment and
support to strategic institutions such as at libraries, community organizations and job-
creating facilities; 4) improve use of broadband by public safety agencies; and 5) stimulate
broadband demand as an engine for economic growth.2

These BTOP goals are consistent with the aggressive broadband strategies in
California. In 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formed a Broadband Task Force
(Task Force) of 21 experts. The Task Force issued two reports on how best to advance
broadband in our state, and conducted a voluntary broadband mapping project. Since that
time, a broadband infrastructure program to fill unserved and underserved areas was
implemented by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The CPUC also
founded the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) to close the digital divide, with
particular focus on remote/rural, disadvantaged communities and persons with disabilities.
A grant from the FCC Rural Healthcare Pilot Program enabled the formation of a statewide
California Telehealth Network (CTN), which has been working for over two years to plan a
statewide telehealth network with over 1,000 healthcare sites linked through advanced
broadband facilities.

California Governor Schwarzenegger has put in place a Federal Economic Stimulus
Task Force to oversee all federal stimulus funds flowing to California, ensure those funds
are effectively used, and ensure that spending is done with transparency and accountability.
He has tasked the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) with responsibility for the
broadband stimulus funding. The Chief Information Officer, Teri Takai, is responsible for
overseeing implementation of the recommendations of the California Broadband Task Force
and serves on the Governor\u2019s Stimulus Task Force. The OCIO has asked the CPUC to
assist in gathering and prioritizing applications grants to bring broadband access to unserved
or underserved areas of the state. In addition, the CPUC has regulatory authority to map
broadband data pursuant to the state video franchise act and carries out the data collection
and mapping responsibilities for the state. The OCIO has also asked the CETF to perform a
similar gathering and prioritizing role for applications that will stimulate the demand for