California has placed into service the first operational segment of its statewide Middle-Mile Broadband Network (MMBN), delivering high-speed connectivity to a rural community in Inyo County. The initial deployment serves the Bishop Paiute Tribe, marking the first live connection on the state-built open-access fiber system.
The project centers on building a statewide middle-mile backbone to support last-mile broadband expansion. The first service area connects through a 423-mile fiber route extending from Barstow to the Nevada border along U.S. Highway 395. The state upgraded existing dormant fiber assets to establish a high-capacity network across the Eastern Sierra Nevada region.
The MMBN forms part of a $3.25 billion program authorized under Senate Bill 156. The California Department of Technology is overseeing network development, while the California Public Utilities Commission has committed more than $1.2 billion toward last-mile projects to extend service to end users.
Construction continues across additional corridors, with the full network expected to span more than 8,000 miles of fiber. The open-access model allows multiple internet service providers to use the infrastructure to deliver broadband services. The Bishop Paiute Tribe operates its own service using the network, enabling local control over broadband delivery.