On January 14, 2026, the California Public Advocates Office, in partnership with the University of California, Santa Barbara, released Broadband Competition and Pricing Strategies in California’s Urban Markets. The study examines how large incumbent providers respond to new competition from fiber and fixed wireless entrants across California’s urban communities.

In this week’s episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Ernesto Falcon, Program Manager at the CPUC, joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, to unpack the findings. Drawing on market-level pricing data and deployment patterns, the report shows that meaningful facilities-based competition—particularly from new fiber providers—drives lower promotional pricing, enhanced service offerings, and more aggressive customer retention strategies.

Conversely, in markets without robust infrastructure competition, consumers often face higher prices under effective gigabit monopolies. The analysis reveals persistent market concentration across many urban areas and underscores the need for policies that promote sustainable infrastructure competition, pricing transparency, and strong consumer protections.