Amended in Senate August 19, 2016

Amended in Senate August 15, 2016

Amended in Senate June 30, 2016

Amended in Senate June 14, 2016

Amended in Senate June 1, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2570


Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk

February 19, 2016


An act to add Section 878.5 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to telecommunications.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2570, as amended, Quirk. Telecommunications: universal service: reimbursement claims.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act establishes the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program in order to provide low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service. The act requires that a lifeline telephone service subscriber be provided with one lifeline subscription, as defined by the commission, at his or her principal place of residence.

This bill wouldbegin delete prohibit the commission from reimbursing a telephone corporation for a reimbursement claim for providing lifeline service to a new subscriber who enrolls for service with the telephone corporation if the subscriber enrolled for lifeline service with another telephone corporation within the previous 60 days.end deletebegin insert require the commission to adopt a portability freeze rule for the lifeline program by January 15, 2017, and would require the commission to consider including certain features as part of the rule.end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 878.5 is added to the end insertbegin insertPublic Utilities
2Code
end insert
begin insert, to read:end insert

begin insert
3

begin insert878.5.end insert  

The commission shall adopt a portability freeze rule for
4the lifeline program by January 15, 2017. The commission shall
5consider including all of the following in the rule:

6
(a) A 60-day duration of the portability freeze.

7
(b) A period of time when a subscriber would be able to
8terminate lifeline service without penalty, similar to provisions
9established in Section 4.13.5 of commission Decision 14-01-036
10(January 16, 2014), Decision Adopting Revisions to Modernize
11and Expand the California Lifeline Program.

12
(c) A requirement that the administrator of the lifeline program
13provide a telephone corporation providing lifeline service with
14 real-time information concerning whether a subscriber has
15enrolled with another telephone corporation during the period of
16the portability freeze adopted by the commission pursuant to this
17section and, if the subscriber enrolled during this period, the date
18of enrollment.

end insert
begin delete19

SECTION 1.  

Section 878.5 is added to the Public Utilities
20Code
, to read:

21

878.5.  

(a) The commission shall not reimburse a telephone
22corporation for a reimbursement claim for providing lifeline service
23to a new subscriber who enrolls for service with the telephone
24corporation if the subscriber enrolled in lifeline service with
25another telephone corporation within the previous 60 days.

26(b) Nothing in this section shall preclude a subscriber from
27terminating wireless lifeline service within 14 days of service
P3    1activation without incurring any charges, including an early
2termination fee, as authorized pursuant to Rulemaking 11-03-113.

end delete


O

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