BILL NUMBER: AB 2690 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 28, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member De La Torre
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Section 765 2882 to
the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities
telephone corporations .
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2690, as amended, De La Torre. Public utilities:
Telephone corporations: call centers.
Existing law requires telephone corporations, as defined, to
provide certain customer and subscriber services.
This bill would require a telephone corporation, by January 1,
2012, and each January 1 thereafter, to post on its Internet Web site
certain information relative to calls placed to a customer call
center for the telephone corporation.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory
authority over public utilities, as defined. The Public Utilities
Act establishes requirements for equipment, practices, and facilities
for public utilities.
This bill would require a customer call center for a public
utility, upon request, to inform any customer that telephones the
call center of the location of the call center and whether the call
center is operated by the utility or is a contracted vendor of the
utility. The bill would require a customer call center that is
outside the state, upon request and availability, to direct a
telephone call to a call center located in the state, and require a
customer call center that is outside the United States, upon request
and availability, to direct a telephone call to a call center located
within the United States. The bill would require the commission to
investigate consumer complaints of a failure by a call center to
comply with these requirements and require the commission to
undertake certain enforcement action if it determines a violation has
occurred. The bill would require a public utility to annually report
certain information to the commission and, until January 1, 2016,
would require the commission to report a summary of that information
to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any
order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the
commission is a crime.
Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and
because a violation of an order or decision of the commission
implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose
a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.
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.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes
no . State-mandated local program: yes
no .
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 765 2882 is added
to the Public Utilities Code, to read:
765. (a) A customer call center for a public utility, upon
request, shall inform any customer that telephones the call center of
the following information:
(1) The location of the call center.
(2) Whether the call center is operated by the utility or is a
contracted vendor of the utility.
(b) A customer call center for a public utility that is outside
the state, upon request and availability, shall direct a telephone
call to a call center located in the state.
(c) A customer call center for a public utility that is outside
the United States, upon request and availability, shall direct a
telephone call to a call center located within the United States.
(d) (1) The commission shall investigate consumer complaints of
false information being disclosed as to the location or ownership of
a call center and shall take appropriate action to punish
intentionally false claims and to deter false claims from being made
in the future.
(2) The commission shall investigate consumer complaints that a
customer call center failed to direct a telephone call to a call
center located in the state pursuant to subdivision (b), or failed to
direct a telephone call to a call center located within the United
States pursuant to subdivision (c), and shall take appropriate action
to punish intentional failures to comply with subdivision (b) or (c)
and to deter failures to comply in the future.
(e) A public utility
2882. A telephone corporation ,
by January 1, 2012, and each January 1 thereafter, shall
report to the commission regarding post on its
Internet Web site the following information relative to calls
placed to a customer call center for the telephone corporation:
(1)
(a) The location of each call center for the
utility telephone corporation that receives calls
originating from California .
(2)
(b) The number of telephone calls received by each call
center from the utility's telephone
corporation's California customers.
(f) (1) The commission shall annually report to the relevant
policy committees of the Legislature a summary of the information
reported to the commission pursuant to subdivision (e).
(2) The requirements for submitting a report imposed under this
subdivision are inoperative on January 1, 2016, pursuant to Section
10231.5 of the Government Code.
(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this
act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local
agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a
new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or
changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of
Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a
crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution.