California

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) issued an executive order to dramatically accelerate the implementation of new third-party oversight of safety and security risks in AI systems, as well as independent audits. The executive order convenes a group of world-leading experts to provide, within two months, a guide for California to reinforce and strengthen its AI safety and security laws.

The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program has lived a highly dramatic life since Congress created it as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.The most recent high-stakes drama involves the state of California.

California is on the verge of accepting $1.86 billion in federal broadband grant funds, despite the Trump administration telling states they cannot enforce net neutrality rules on any Internet service provider that gets a piece of the grant money.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed two bills (Senate Bill 813 and Assembly Bill 1405) strengthening California’s AI safeguards by establishing first-in-the-nation standards for third-party audits and independent assessments of AI systems—increasing transparency and accountability as the technology rapidly advances. The Governor signed Senate Bill 813, authored by Senator Jerry McNerney (D – Pleasanton), which establishes a first-in-the-nation framework for independent verification organizations that can assess AI systems and models for compliance with state law.

The Golden State Connect Authority has signed an agreement with FiberTel for the design and construction of multiple county projects within the Golden State Fiber broadband network, which aims to expand last-mile connectivity across rural California. Under the agreement, FiberTel will design and build fiber deployments in Alpine, Amador, Imperial, Mono, and Tehama counties, as well as the Town of Mammoth Lakes. The company will also complete Phase 2 of the network buildout in Glenn County, where GSCA broke ground on Phase 1 in April 2026.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved nearly $32 million in California Advanced Services Fund grants to expand high-speed internet access, bring free broadband to affordable housing residents, and help thousands of Californians gain the digital skills needed to participate in today’s online world. The CPUC approved up to $24 million in CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account funding for three Frontier California Inc. fiber projects currently serving 590 unserved homes in Fresno, Merced, Plumas, and Tulare counties. The projects include:

Regulatory fights between state and federal regulators sometimes get messy, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen anything as messy as AT&T’s attempt to retire and walk away from copper facilities in California. AT&T asked the California Public Service Commission for the ability to start retiring copper telephone networks in March 2023. It wasn’t an unusual request since AT&T is in the process of retiring copper in every other state where it owns last-mile copper networks. The CPUC finally ruled on that petition in June 2024 and unanimously rejected AT&T’s request.

Charter Communications received the final approval needed to buy fellow cable and broadband provider Cox Communications after making concessions to California regulators, including a commitment to provide affordable internet plans for low-income households.

Strengthening California’s defenses against emerging artificial intelligence-enabled cyber threats, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a first-in-the-nation initiative to protect state assets and critical infrastructure while advancing responsible AI innovation.

Updating California’s roadmap for protecting the state government from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced the release of an updated strategy—known as Cal-Secure 2.0—to protect the state against new online threats, including artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cyberattacks. Building on California’s first statewide cybersecurity st