Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act established the lifeline telephone service program in order to provide low-income households, as defined, with access to affordable basic residential telephone service. Existing law requires that a lifeline telephone service subscriber be provided with one lifeline subscription at the subscriber’s principal place of residence, and provides that no other member of that subscriber’s family or household who maintains residence at that place is eligible for lifeline telephone service.

This bill would revise the definition of “household” for these purposes and would authorize multiple lifeline telephone service subscribers to maintain the same address if they are not of the same household or if a subscriber meets one of certain requirements. The bill would require the commission, in a new or existing proceeding, to determine whether a lifeline telephone service subscriber shall be permitted an additional lifeline subscription for broadband services and would require the commission to issue a decision in the proceeding by no later than July 1, 2022. The bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2020, as part of an existing proceeding, to update the lifeline program to address certain issues. The bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2021, to adopt updated program rules for the lifeline program to, among other things, include various methods to increase participation of eligible low-income individuals in the lifeline program. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with relevant state agencies, to develop outreach and enrollment programs for the formerly incarcerated and for veterans. The bill would require the commission to consider accepting alternative forms of identification to increase participation in the lifeline program by members of certain vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.