To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
From: Executive Office
Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
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Department Contact: |
Darcie Antle |
Phone: |
707-463-4441 |
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Department Contact: |
Kelly Hansen |
Phone: |
707-463-4441 |
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Item Type: Consent Agenda |
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Time Allocated for Item: N/A |
Agenda Title:
title
Ratification of Letter of Opposition for Assembly Bill 470 (McKinnor) - Telephone Corporations: Carriers of Last Resort (As Amended April 22, 2025)
End
Recommended Action/Motion:
recommendation
Ratify letter of opposition for Assembly Bill 470 (McKinnor) - telephone corporations: carriers of last resort (as amended April 22, 2025).
End
Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:
The Board of Supervisors Ratified a letter of opposition for Assembly Bill 470 (McKinnor) - telephone corporations: carriers of last resort at the April 22, 2025 Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Board of Supervisors regularly issues support letters that align with the 2025 Legislative Platform. These letters advocate for adequate and ongoing federal and state funding, timely distribution of resources, increased local authority, and flexibility in administering and providing services.
Summary of Request:
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for public utilities. Existing law requires the commission, on or before February 1, 1995, to issue an order initiating an investigation and open proceeding to examine the current and future definitions of universal service in telecommunications. Pursuant to that provision, the commission issued a decision involving carriers of last resort, including the withdrawal process for carriers of last resort, defined as a carrier who provides local exchange service and stands ready to provide basic service to any customer requesting such service within a specified area.
This bill would provide procedures for telephone corporations to terminate their carrier of last resort obligations in areas where the United States Census Bureau reports no population, in areas where telephone corporations provide no basic exchange service to any customer address located within their telephone service territory, and in areas that are well-served, as defined. The bill would require telephone corporations to fulfill specified conditions and meet certain notice requirements to be relieved of the carrier of last resort obligations. The bill would impose additional duties on telephone corporations terminating their carrier of last resort obligations, including, among other things, publishing a notice which would specify a residential consumer’s authority to submit a written request seeking independent third-party review of the assertion that an area has no population or no basic exchange service customers or that a consumer in an area is well-served, as applicable. The bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to determine a transition plan to be followed before a telephone corporation amends its status as a carrier of last resort in areas other than those subject to amended status under the bill.
The bill would create the Public Safety Agency Technology Upgrade Grant Fund, provide that moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the commission for purposes of public safety agency technology upgrade grants, and authorize the fund to accept donations from nongovernmental entities. The bill would make specified exceptions to these provisions.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Under existing law, a violation of an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Alternative Action/Motion:
Do not ratify letter of opposition and provide alternative direction.
Strategic Plan Priority Designation: A Prepared and Resilient County
Supervisorial District: All
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supplemental Information Available Online At: Bill Text - AB-470 Telephone corporations: carriers of last resort. <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB470>
Fiscal Details:
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source of funding: N/A |
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current f/y cost: N/A |
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budget clarification: N/A |
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annual recurring cost: N/A |
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budgeted in current f/y (if no, please describe): N/A |
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revenue agreement: N/A |
AGREEMENT/RESOLUTION/ORDINANCE APPROVED BY COUNTY COUNSEL: N/A
CEO Liaison: Executive Office
CEO Review: Yes
CEO Comments:
FOR COB USE ONLY
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Executed By: Atlas Pearson, Senior Deputy Clerk |
Final Status: Approved |
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Date: May 20, 2025 |
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