Section 11549.52 - Purpose; authority(a) The office shall, consistent with Item 7502-062-8506 of the Budget Act of 2021, oversee the acquisition and management of contracts for the development and construction of a statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network, and for the maintenance and operation of the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network to provide an opportunity for last-mile providers, anchor institutions, and tribal entities to connect to, and interconnect with other networks and other appropriate connections to, the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network to facilitate high-speed broadband service.(b) The office shall, with the third-party administrator, develop and construct a statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network that prioritizes last-mile connections to unserved and underserved areas and locations. (1) In prioritizing last-mile connections, the office shall prioritize a geographically diverse group of network segments in rural and urban areas of the state to achieve the greatest reductions in the number of locations that are unserved and underserved by broadband internet access service that meets federal and state standards.(2) In prioritizing stand-alone Department of Transportation construction projects from the Department of Technology's Middle-Mile Broadband Network Initiative, the office shall prioritize network segments necessary for connection to last-mile projects with grant awards from one or more of the following programs, including, but not limited to: (A) The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program.(B) The California Advanced Services Fund program, as described in Section 281 of the Public Utilities Code.(C) The Federal Funding Account program.(c) The office and the third-party administrator shall work directly with last-mile project grant awardees to ensure that network segments, including prioritized stand-alone Department of Transportation construction projects, support last-mile connections.(d) The office and the third-party administrator shall, to the extent feasible, minimize disruption due to excavations. This shall not be used as a basis to exclude or deprioritize a network segment.(e) The office has the same authority granted to the department pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of Section 6611 of the Public Contract Code for purposes of implementing this section.Amended by Stats 2024 ch 41 (SB 164),s 35, eff. 6/29/2024.Added by Stats 2021 ch 112 (SB 156),s 3, eff. 7/20/2021.