California has activated its Middle-Mile Broadband Network, turning on what state officials describe as the nation’s largest open-access public broadband system, and beginning to connect underserved communities to high-speed internet service.
The middle-mile network serves as backbone infrastructure designed to deliver fast, reliable, and affordable internet by linking regional networks to local providers that connect homes, schools, and businesses.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the milestone April 2, marking the first live connection on the system and a significant step in the state’s effort to expand broadband access. The network is a central component of California’s broader push to close the digital divide and improve connectivity across rural and underserved areas in the state.
The Middle-Mile Broadband Network was developed as part of the state’s Broadband for All initiative, which is aimed at addressing gaps in internet access that persist across California. With 35% of rural Americans lacking reliable internet, the state has prioritized building infrastructure that can support long-term connectivity and economic opportunity.
The effort traces back to 2021, when Newsom signed legislation allocating $3.2 billion to build an open-access middle-mile network.
The system is designed to provide a resilient, statewide backbone that enables last-mile providers to extend service directly to end users.
State officials say the approach is intended to ensure equitable access to high-speed broadband for millions of Californians.
“This progress is real, it’s measurable, and it’s making a difference in people’s lives,” Newsom said, emphasizing that expanded connectivity will improve access to education, health care, and job opportunities for residents across the state.
The Bishop Paiute Tribe is the first customer connected to the network, bringing high-speed internet to a rural and historically underserved community in eastern California. The connection was made through a 423-mile segment of the network running from Barstow to the Nevada border along Highway 395.
Students in the community were among the first to go online, gaining faster speeds and expanded access to digital learning tools, telehealth services, and other online resources that were previously limited or unavailable, the governor’s office said.
“A lot of work has gone into this project,” said Chairwoman Emma Williams of the Bishop Paiute Tribe.
“We’re so happy to have this portion of the state’s middle-mile network turned on so the people in our community who desperately need a reliable and affordable internet connection can access everything from schoolwork to telehealth appointments,” Williams said.
“Today marks a defining moment for California’s Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative: the Bishop Paiute Tribe is officially our first customer on the nation’s largest public broadband network, and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Liana Bailey-Crimmins, California’s CIO and head of the state’s Department of Technology.
“This is proof that California is delivering on Governor Newsom’s commitment to Broadband for All,” Crimmins said.
The governor’s office said the partnership reflects a commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, with the tribe operating as a tribally owned internet service provider that will independently manage pricing and service offerings for households on and off the reservation.
The network itself was built in part by acquiring dormant fiber infrastructure and upgrading it into a high-capacity system designed to serve rural and tribal communities. The governor’s office said the broader initiative has already delivered more than 8,000 miles of open-access broadband fiber across the state.
Looking ahead, the state expects the network to expand as more internet service providers connect to it, bringing additional options for reliable and affordable broadband to thousands of residents in the Eastern Sierra Nevada and millions more across California’s 58 counties.
