SB275:v99#DOCUMENTBill Start
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 275
Introduced by Senator Dahle
|
January 29, 2021 |
An act to amend Section 882 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to telecommunications.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 275, as introduced, Dahle.
Telecommunications: Moore Universal Telephone Service Act.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act established the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program in order to provide low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service. Existing law requires the commission, as soon as practicable, in a proceeding or multiple proceedings, to consider ways to ensure that advanced telecommunications services are made available as ubiquitously and economically as possible, in a timely fashion, to California’s citizens, institutions, and businesses and provides that the proceeding or proceedings should be completed within one year of commencement.
This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the provisions requiring the commission to consider
ways to ensure the availability of advanced telecommunications services.
Digest Key
Vote:
MAJORITY
Appropriation:
NO
Fiscal Committee:
NO
Local Program:
NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 882 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:882.
(a) The Public Utilities Commission commission shall, as soon as practicable, open a proceeding or proceedings to, or as part of existing proceedings shall, consider ways to ensure that advanced telecommunications services are made available as ubiquitously and economically as possible, in a timely fashion, to California’s citizens, institutions, and businesses. The proceeding or proceedings should be completed within one year of commencement.(b) The proceeding or proceedings shall develop rules, procedures, orders, or strategies, or all
of these, that seek to achieve the following goals:
(1) To provide all citizens and businesses with access to the widest possible array of advanced communications services.
(2) To provide the state’s educational and health care institutions with access to advanced communications services.
(3) To ensure cost-effective deployment of technology so as to protect ratepayers’ interests and the affordability of telecommunications services.
(c) In the proceeding or proceedings, the commission should also consider, but need not limit its consideration to, all of the following:
(1) Whether the definition of universal service should be broadened.
(2) How to encourage the timely and economic development of an advanced public communications infrastructure, which may include a variety of competitive providers.