Commissioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, the California Broadband Task Force issued its final report Thursday, warning that slow World Wide Web speeds threaten to limit the state’s competitive ability.

Broadband connectivity varies greatly, the report found, with 95 percent of Los Angeles residents able to subscribe to broadband services at 10 MB or greater, while only 6 percent of San Francisco Bay Area residents could. 1.4 million Californians have no broadband access.

“We now know where California’s unserved communities exist, and we must use creative strategies and public and private partnerships to bring broadband to these areas as soon as possible,” said Dale Bonner, co-chairman of the task force and secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

AT&T Praises Report

Ken McNeely, president of AT&T California, issued a statement commending the task force for its work. “AT&T sees an exciting future with broadband delivering a range of new services; educational opportunities through distance learning; and expanded, more

affordable health care to more Californians. An improved digital infrastructure will additionally bring new jobs and ensure the Golden State remains a leader in driving new, innovative technologies,” he said.

Among the task force’s recommendations: expanding the broadband infrastructure to all California residents and removing obstacles to private-sector investment in broadband. It recommended streamlining bureaucratic procedures, a suggestion that earned high marks from the telecom industry.

“We are particularly pleased the task force has recommended the development of a new permitting standard that will help improve the speed with which broadband is deployed in cities across the state,” McNeely said.

“A disproportionate percentage of low-income families do not have a computer at home, suggesting affordability is a barrier,” the 83-page task-force report stated.

Ubiquitous Broadband

The report came up with three overarching goals for California’s broadband strategy:
the state must ensure a “ubiquitous and affordable broadband infrastructure” using a range of…

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