AB 876, as amended, Bonta. Telecommunications: California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to develop and implement a program funded by the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund to advance universal service by providing discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations.
This bill would specify that discounted rates are available to qualifying schools maintaining preschools and transitional kindergartens. The bill would require the commission to develop and implement an outreach plan to preschools and transitional kindergartens to increase awareness of services available to these schools under the program described above.
This bill would require the commission to
revise the program described above to give priority for advancedbegin delete telecommunicationend deletebegin insert communicationend insert services as the commission deems appropriate. The bill would require the commission to ensure that the program described above does not favor a particular technology used to provide advancedbegin delete telecommunicationsend deletebegin insert communicationend insert services to qualifying entities. The bill would require the commission tobegin delete establish and maintainend deletebegin insert open or amend an existing proceeding to develop a plan
end insertbegin inserton the feasibility and expense associated with establishing and maintainingend insert
a database of communication services purchased by qualifying entities receiving financial support from the program and the prices paid for those communicationbegin delete services. The bill would require the
commission to allow qualifying entities to access the database and to make only average price information from the database available to the public. The bill would require the commission to open a new proceeding or amend an existing proceeding to revise the definition of advanced telecommunication services to include the needs of personalized digital learning in schools and libraries.end deletebegin insert services. The bill would require the commission to report the plan findings or progress on the plan to the Legislature and to specified committees of the Legislature no later than March 1, 2016.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:
Section 280 of the Public Utilities Code is
2amended to read:
(a) The commission shall develop, implement, and
4administer a program to advance universal service by providing
5discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining preschool,
6transitional kindergarten,begin delete kindergartenend deletebegin insert kindergarten,end insert or any of
7grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals,
8health clinics, and community organizations, consistent with
9Chapter 278 of the Statutes of 1994.
10(b) There is hereby created the California Teleconnect Fund
11Administrative Committee,
which is an advisory board to advise
12the commission regarding the development, implementation, and
13administration of a program to advance universal service by
14providing discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining
15
preschool, transitional kindergarten,begin delete kindergartenend deletebegin insert kindergarten,end insert
16 or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries,
17hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations, consistent
18with Chapter 278 of the Statutes of 1994, and to carry out the
P3 1program pursuant to the commission’s direction, control, and
2approval.
3(c) All revenues collected by telephone corporations in rates
4authorized by the commission to fund the program specified in
5subdivision (a) shall be submitted to the commission pursuant to
6a schedule established by the commission. The commission shall
7transfer the moneys received to the Controller for deposit in the
8California
Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund. All
9interest earned by moneys in the fund shall be deposited in the
10fund.
11(d) Moneys appropriated from the California Teleconnect Fund
12Administrative Committee Fund to the commission shall be utilized
13exclusively by the commission for the program specified in
14subdivision (a), including all costs of the board and the commission
15associated with the administration and oversight of the program
16and the fund.
17(e) Moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect Fund
18Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of 2003 are
19subject to Section 16320 of the Government Code. If the
20commission determines a need for moneys in the California
21Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund, the commission
22shall notify the Director of
Finance of the need, as specified in
23Section 16320 of the Government Code. The commissionbegin delete mayend delete
24begin insert shallend insert not increase the rates authorized by the commission to fund
25the program specified in subdivision (b) while moneys loaned from
26the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund
27in the Budget Act of 2003 are outstanding unless both of the
28following conditions are satisfied:
29(1) The Director of Finance, after making a determination
30pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 16320 of the Government
31Code, does not order repayment of all or a portion of any loan
32from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee
33Fund within 30 days of notification by the
commission of the need
34for the moneys.
35(2) The commission notifies the Director of Finance and the
36Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in writing
37that it intends to increase the rates authorized by the commission
38to fund the program specified in subdivision (a). The notification
39required pursuant to this paragraph shall be made 30 days in
40advance of the intended rate increase.
P4 1(f) Subdivision (e) shall become inoperative upon full repayment
2or discharge of all moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect
3
Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of 2003.
Section 280.1 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
5read:
The commission shall develop and implement an
7outreach plan to preschools and transitional kindergartens to
8increase awareness of services available to these schools under
9the program developed pursuant to Section 280.
Section 280.2 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
11read:
(a) The commission shall establish and maintain a
13database of communication services purchased by qualifying
14entities receiving financial support from the program developed
15pursuant to Section 280
and the prices paid for those
16communications services. The commission shall allow qualifying
17entities to access the database in order to collaborate and allow for
18the use of common infrastructure to reduce costs. The commission
19shall only make average price information from the database
20available to the public on the commission’s Internet Web site. The
21database shall exclude communications services purchased by
22qualifying entities who are residential
customers and any
23information prohibited from being publicly disclosed by law.
(a) (1) The commission shall open or amend an existing
25proceeding to develop a plan on the feasibility and expense
26associated with establishing and maintaining a database of
27communication services purchased by qualifying entities receiving
28financial support from the program developed pursuant to Section
29280 and the prices paid for those communication services.
30(2) The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
end insertbegin insert
31(A) A report on how to allow qualifying entities access to the
32database in order to collaborate and allow for the use of common
33infrastructure to reduce costs.
34(B) A report on how to make only aggregated and anonymous
35price information from the database available to the public on the
36commission’s Internet Web Site.
37(3) In developing the plan required under this subdivision, the
38commission may work with a third party, including, but not limited
39to, a nonprofit organization, if the
commission determines the third
40party can provide assistance in developing the plan while
P5 1maintaining the privacy and security of all data through a suitable
2legally binding agreement.
3(4) The commission shall report the plan findings or progress
4on the plan to the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce,
5the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications,
6and the Legislature no later than March 1, 2016.
7(b) The commission shall revise the program developed
8pursuant to Section 280 to give priority to using moneys in the
9California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund for
10advancedbegin delete telecommunicationsend deletebegin insert
communicationsend insert
services
as the
11commission deems appropriate. The commission shall ensure that
12the program developed pursuant to Section 280 does not favor a
13particular technology used to provide advancedbegin delete telecommunicationsend delete
14begin insert communicationsend insert services to qualifying entities.
15(c) The commission shall open a new proceeding or amend an
16existing proceeding to revise the definition of advanced
17telecommunications services to include the needs of personalized
18digital learning in schools and libraries.
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