BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1375
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1375 (Price)
As Amended August 2, 2010
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :35-0
UTILITIES & COMMERCE 14-0
APPROPRIATIONS 16-0
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|Ayes:|Bradford, Knight, Tom |Ayes:|Fuentes, Conway, |
| |Berryhill, Buchanan, | |Bradford, |
| |Carter, Fletcher, Fong, | |Charles Calderon, Coto, |
| |Fuentes, Fuller, | |Davis, |
| |Furutani, Huffman, Ma, | |De Leon, Gatto, Hall, |
| |Swanson, Villines | |Harkey, Miller, Nielsen, |
| | | |Norby, Solorio, |
| | | |Torlakson, Torrico |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Allows a local telephone corporation to provide
access to 911 emergency services for at least 120 days after
disconnection of residential basic phone service for nonpayment
of any delinquent account, instead of indefinitely. In
addition, allows a telephone corporation to disconnect any line
in existence on January 1, 2011, that provides access to 911
emergency services with no customer account attached for that
line, if a 90-day notice is provided that contains specified
information.
EXISTING LAW requires all telephone corporations, excluding
mobile providers to provide every existing and newly installed
residential telephone connection with access to 911 emergency
service regardless of whether an account has been established.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis:
1)Any costs to PUC would be minor and absorbable.
2)Based on the current estimated number of warm lines statewide,
annual special fund savings of around $2 million to end the
maintenance of warm line records in the 911 database. [State
SB 1375
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Emergency Telephone Number Account]
COMMENTS : Current law requires all landline telephone
corporations, to the extent permitted by existing technology or
facilities, to provide every residential telephone connection
with access to 911 emergency service regardless of whether an
account has been established. The law prohibits any corporation
from terminating this "warm line" service for nonpayment of any
delinquent account. The intent of this law was to ensure that
people can always call 911 from their home even when they have
just moved in and regular phone service has not started yet, or
when regular service has been discontinued because they cannot
afford to pay their telephone bill. The law also requires
telephone corporations to inform subscribers of the availability
of warm line service in a manner determined by PUC.
Telephone corporations (and their ratepayers) incur the cost of
maintaining the facilities for warm lines and the telephone
number associated with each line that registers at the local
Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) if a 911 call is
transmitted on the line. The companies claim that these costs
have increased because of rapid growth in the number of warm
lines as subscribers discontinue landline service and transfer
to wireless, cable, or VoIP service. The PUC reports that the
total number of landline access lines in California has
decreased from 25 million in 2001 to 20 million in 2008. When
customers abandon wireline service, the wire to the residence
remains as a warm line.
PUC staff analysis estimates that about 3% of 911 calls from
warm lines required an actual fire or emergency medical
response, which equates to about 270 calls during March 2009.
The analysis discloses that this number does not coincide with
the total number of calls. The 3% only represents the minimum
number of emergency calls from warm lines and it does not
include calls dispatched directly by primary PSAPs that are
police and fire primary PSAPs. In addition, the 3% estimate
does not count the police dispatches for emergencies that
require law enforcement presence.
Analysis Prepared by : Gina Adams / U. & C. / (916) 319-2083
SB 1375
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FN: 0005644