AB 1503, as amended, Perea. Telecommunications universal service programs: teleconnect fund.
Existing law, the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, establishes a program of cooperative federalism for the regulation of telecommunications to attain the goal of local competition, while implementing specific, predictable, and sufficient federal and state mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service, consistent with certain universal service principles. The federal universal service principles include the principle that elementary and secondary schools and classrooms, health care providers, and libraries should have access to advanced telecommunications services. The act authorizes each state to adopt regulations to provide for additional definitions and standards to preserve and advance universal service within the state, only to the extent that they adopt additional specific, predictable, and sufficient mechanisms that do not rely on or burden federal universal service support mechanisms.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to develop and implement a program funded by the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund to advance universal service by providing discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations.
This bill would require the commission to include auxiliary organizations of the California Statebegin delete Universityend deletebegin insert University, as defined,end insert in the program funded by the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 280 of the Public Utilities Code is
2amended to read:
(a) The commission shall develop, implement, and
4administer a program to advance universal service by providing
5discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining kindergarten
6or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries,
7hospitals, health clinics, community organizations, and auxiliary
8organizations of the California State University, consistent with
9Chapter 278 of the Statutes of 1994.
10(b) There is hereby created the California Teleconnect Fund
11Administrative Committee, which is an advisory board to advise
12the commission regarding the development, implementation, and
13administration of a program to advance universal service by
14providing
discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining
15kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community
16colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, community
17organizations, and auxiliary organizations of the California State
18University, consistent with Chapter 278 of the Statutes of 1994,
19and to carry out the program pursuant to the commission’s
20direction, control, and approval.
21(c) All revenues collected by telephone corporations in rates
22authorized by the commission to fund the program specified in
23subdivision (a) shall be submitted to the commission pursuant to
24a schedule established by the commission. The commission shall
25transfer the moneys received to the Controller for deposit in the
26California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund. All
27interest earned by moneys in the fund shall be deposited in the
28fund.
P3 1(d) Moneys appropriated from the California Teleconnect Fund
2Administrative Committee Fund to the commission shall be utilized
3exclusively by the commission for the program specified in
4subdivision (a), including all costs of the board and the commission
5associated with the administration and oversight of the program
6and the fund.
7(e) Moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect Fund
8Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of 2003 are
9subject to Section 16320 of the Government Code. If the
10commission determines a need for moneys in the California
11Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund, the commission
12shall notify the Director of Finance of the need, as specified in
13Section 16320 of the Government Code. The commission shall
14not increase the rates authorized by
the commission to fund the
15program specified in subdivision (b) while moneys loaned from
16the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund
17in the Budget Act of 2003 are outstanding unless both of the
18following conditions are satisfied:
19(1) The Director of Finance, after making a determination
20pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 16320 of the Government
21Code, does not order repayment of all or a portion of any loan
22from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee
23Fund within 30 days of notification by the commission of the need
24for the moneys.
25(2) The commission notifies the Director of Finance and the
26Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in writing
27that it intends to increase the rates authorized by the commission
28to fund the
program specified in subdivision (a). The notification
29required pursuant to this paragraph shall be made 30 days in
30advance of the intended rate increase.
31(f) Subdivision (e) shall become inoperative upon full repayment
32or discharge of all moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect
33Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of 2003.
34(g) For purposes of this section, an “auxiliary organization of
35the California State University” means a nonprofit organization
36physically located on a California State University campus that
37administers bookstores, housing, or dining.
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