California switches on nation’s largest public middle-mile broadband network

Governor Gavin Newsom announced California turned on the nation’s largest open-access public middle-mile broadband network and connected the Bishop Paiute Tribe as the first customer.

• Main announcement: California has activated the Middle-Mile Broadband Network (MMBN) and connected the Bishop Paiute Tribe as the first customer, bringing high-speed internet to a rural, historically underserved community via a 423-mile segment running from Barstow to the Nevada border; the tribally-owned ISP will independently manage and operate its service, including pricing and offerings.
• Background and program details: The network was enabled under Senate Bill 156 which provides $3.25 billion for infrastructure; the California Public Utilities Commission has awarded over $1.2 billion in last-mile grants (benefiting over 2 million Californians); CDT has upgraded dormant fiber and California plans over 8,000 miles of open-access broadband fiber as part of the Build More, Faster agenda.