Keeping Connectivity Within Reach for Californians
In May 2025, ZETA urged the California Public Utilities Commission to reconsider proposed wireless regulations in Rulemaking R.22-03-016. Our concern was straightforward: consumer protection matters, but California should not pursue it in ways that make service less affordable, weaken choice or slow the investment needed to keep communities connected in an increasingly digital world.
That concern remains relevant today. The CPUC’s proceeding on service quality has evolved since ZETA submitted its letter. The Commission adopted General Order 133-E for certain voice service standards and left wireless service quality questions for a separate proceeding. That distinction is important because wireless and wireline are different. California can advance reliability by allowing the already competitive wireless marketplace to continue to serve customers effectively.
California is home to roughly 8 million Gen Z residents, nearly 16 percent of the state’s population. For this generation, wireless service is not an extra. It is how people apply for jobs, finish coursework, access health care, build small businesses and stay close to their communities.
Nearly 98 percent of Gen Z owns a smartphone and the average Gen Zer spends more than six hours online each day. Those figures show how deeply connectivity shapes daily life, opportunity and participation in the modern economy.
Through our California network, ZETA works with students, creators and emerging leaders across the state. We hear directly from young people who depend on affordable and reliable internet as they balance school, work and rising living costs. For many, mobile broadband is their primary connection to the internet. In some cases, it is their only connection.
That is why choice matters. A competitive wireless market gives people more options to find plans that fit their budget and needs. It also supports continued investment in stronger networks.
Public policy needs to protect consumers and demand accountability from providers. It must also recognize the risk of rules that add costs, delay upgrades or discourage investment. Those consequences do not fall evenly. Young Californians in rural, low income and underserved communities often have the least room to absorb higher bills or fewer choices.
For ZETA, this is ultimately about digital fairness. Affordable connectivity allows Gen Z Californians to operate and grow both personally and professionally in the digital era they have grown up in. We urge the state to promote reliable service through policies that encourage investment and competition, rather than new regulatory mandates that risk increasing costs without improving consumer outcomes.
References
California Public Utilities Commission. (2025). Decision adopting General Order 133-E (Rulemaking R.22-03-016). https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M577/K288/577288152.pdf
California Public Utilities Commission. (2026). Order instituting rulemaking to consider service quality rules for wireless carriers (Rulemaking R.26-02-017).
https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M601/K572/601572628.PDF
Pew Research Center. (2025a, November 20). Internet, broadband fact sheet.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
Pew Research Center. (2025b, November 20). Mobile fact sheet.