Weeks after the Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution to end discrimination against minority neighborhoods and poor people in internet services in the city, a new statewide digital equity initiative began its progress.
Last week, Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, who represents the Oakland-based 18th District in the Legislature, introduced a piece of legislation whose purpose is to pave the way to reduce digital discrimination that still exists in our state.
AB 2239 adds to state laws the definition of national digital discrimination that the Federal Communications Commission (FFC) established last year after years of debate and which was also the basis of the Los Angeles decision.
The FCC determines that digital discrimination consists of “policies or practices, which have not been justified by genuine reasons of technical or economic feasibility, and which differentially impact consumers (by establishing their different) access to the Internet access service according to their income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion or national origin or are intended (once implemented in the future) to have such differential impact.
In its summary, the state bill also details the existing situation, by which the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), in charge of the California Advanced Service Fund, promotes with it the deployment of high-quality advanced communications services for all Californians. And he proposes putting in the law that the Legislature intends to adopt additional legislation, which in turn will make clear the parameters of digital discrimination that the government will commit to reversing.
AB 229, as Miguel Santana, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, stated in a statement, “makes California the first state in the nation to take this step, closely following the innovative management of digital discrimination by the city of The Angels”.
As the author mentioned in a column in December that announced it, the Los Angeles City Council debated and earlier this year approved a resolution that detects, defines and combats digital discrimination in the metropolitan area. It was an important step in ensuring that an equitable share of federal and state government funding, reaching $8 billion across the state to complete its broadband infrastructure, is distributed to low-income communities and color.
The proposal was from Councilmember Marqueese Harris-Dawson with support from Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez, Imelda Padilla, Nithya Raman, Bob Blumenfield and Paul Krekorian.
How do we know that digital discrimination exists? Because the investment in the communities harmed in the development of their digital access is minimal, when there are not enough options for consumers because there is a monopoly or duopoly of internet service providers and when the rules are established by the providers and not the communities and their political representatives.
What, then, is proposed by this decision of the Los Angeles council and now by the motion of law by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta? End the validity of the “digital red line” on “digital redlining”, which makes internet service in underserved areas rely on outdated technology and be slow.
As is well known, these days access to broadband internet constitutes an absolutely critical element to allow the full participation of groups in our society.
In introducing AB 2239, Assemblywoman Bonta expressed her resolve to end the situation in which “low-income communities of color across the state remain disproportionately disconnected, stranded on the wrong side of the digital divide.” ”.
Bonta’s motion follows that adopted by Los Angeles, which in turn, as Marqueese Harris-Dawson acknowledged at the time, arose in response to a study led by the California Community Foundation and the Digital Equity LA Coalition titled “Slower and More Expensive” (Slow and More Expensive). The study alludes to the development of the city and empirically verifies that digital discrimination exists and is applied in Los Angeles.
The Co-sponsors of the legislation are, among others, the California Alliance for Digital Equity, #OaklandUndivided, the California Community Foundation, NextGen California, the Children’s Partnership, and even more protagonists are joining.
AB 2239 is a step forward that will put California on par with Los Angeles in defending the rights of low-income and communities of color to access fast, reliable, and affordable information. Because that is one of the main civil rights of the 21st Century and must become legislation.