BILL NUMBER: SB 1205	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Morrell

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2016

   An act to amend Section 871.5 of the Public Utilities Code,
relating to telecommunications.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1205, as introduced, Morrell. Telecommunications: universal
service.
   Existing law, the Moore Universal Telephone Service Act,
establishes the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program to
provide low-income households with access to affordable basic
residential telephone service. The act makes legislative findings and
declarations regarding lifeline telephone service.
   This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those findings and
declarations.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 871.5 of the Public Utilities Code is amended
to read:
   871.5.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) The offering of high-quality basic telephone service at
affordable rates to the greatest number of citizens has been a
longstanding goal of the state.
   (b) The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act has been, and
continues to be, an important means for achieving universal service
by making basic telephone service affordable to low-income households
through the creation of a lifeline class of service.
   (c) Every means should be employed by the commission and telephone
corporations to ensure that every household qualified to receive
lifeline telephone service is informed  of   of,
 and is afforded the opportunity  to   to,
 subscribe to that service.
   (d) The furnishing of lifeline telephone service is in the public
interest and should be supported fairly and equitably by every
telephone corporation, and the commission, in administering the
lifeline telephone service program, should implement the program in a
way that is equitable, nondiscriminatory, and without competitive
consequences for the telecommunications industry in 
California   this state  .