Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 17, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2867


Introduced by Assembly Member Gatto

February 19, 2016


An act to add begin deleteChapter 6 (commencing with Section 8390) to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code,end deletebegin insert Section 1726 to the Civil Code,end insert relating tobegin delete public utilitiesend deletebegin insert contractsend insert.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2867, as amended, Gatto. begin deletePublic utilities: consumer protection. end deletebegin insertCable and end insertbegin insertInternet service providers: contracts.end insert

begin insert

Existing law states the intent of the Legislature to establish certain reasonable minimum standards with respect to consumer cable television contracts. Existing law imposes certain requirements on the imposition of late fees and sale or collection of delinquent cable television accounts.

end insert
begin insert

This bill would require a cable or Internet service provider that enables an individual to subscribe to its services through an Internet Web site to also enable those customers to cancel their subscriptions through the Internet Web site.

end insert
begin delete

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over privately owned public utilities, including electrical corporations, gas corporations, telephone corporations, and water corporations.

end delete
begin delete

Existing law authorizes the furnishing of utility services by local publicly owned public utilities, including municipal corporations, which are subject to control by their governing bodies, and municipal utility districts, public utility districts, and irrigation districts, which are subject to control by their boards of directors.

end delete
begin delete

This bill would require a privately owned or local publicly owned public utility that enables an individual to subscribe to its services through an Internet Web site to also enable all of its customers to cancel their subscriptions through the site. To the extent this bill would require a local publicly owned public utility to change the options available on its Internet Web site, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

end delete
begin delete

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.

end delete
begin delete

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: begin deleteyes end deletebegin insertnoend insert. State-mandated local program: begin deleteyes end deletebegin insertnoend insert.

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

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 1726 is added to the end insertbegin insertCivil Codeend insertbegin insert, to read:end insert

begin insert
2

begin insert1726.end insert  

If a cable or Internet service provider enables an
3individual to subscribe to its services through an Internet Web
4site, it shall also enable all of its customers to cancel their
5subscriptions through the Internet Web site.

end insert
begin delete6

SECTION 1.  

Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 8390) is
7added to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, to read:

8 

9Chapter  6. Consumer Protection
10

 

11

8390.  

If a privately owned or local publicly owned public utility
12enables an individual to subscribe to its services through an Internet
13Web site, it shall also enable all of its customers to cancel their
14subscriptions through the Internet Web site.

end delete
begin delete
15

SEC. 2.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
16Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
17a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service
18charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or
P3    1level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section
217556 of the Government Code.

end delete


O

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