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 communicationend deletebegin insert communicationsend 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 communicationend deletebegin insert communicationsend insert services to qualifying entities. The bill would require the commission to open or amend an existing proceeding to develop a plan on the feasibility and expense associated with establishing and maintaining a database of communication services purchased by qualifying entities receiving financial support from the program and
the prices paid for those communication 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.
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, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12,
7inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics,
8and community organizations, consistent with Chapter 278 of the
9Statutes 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
15preschool, transitional kindergarten,
kindergarten, or any of grades
161 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health
17clinics, and community organizations, consistent with Chapter 278
18of the Statutes of 1994, and to carry out the program pursuant to
19the commission’s direction, control, and approval.
20(c) All revenues collected by telephone corporations in rates
21authorized by the commission to fund the program specified in
22subdivision (a) shall be submitted to the commission pursuant to
23a schedule established by the commission. The commission shall
24transfer the moneys received to the Controller for deposit in the
P3 1California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund. All
2interest earned by moneys in the fund shall be deposited in the
3fund.
4(d) Moneys appropriated from the California Teleconnect Fund
5Administrative Committee Fund to the commission shall be utilized
6exclusively by the commission
for the program specified in
7subdivision (a), including all costs of the board and the commission
8associated with the administration and oversight of the program
9and the fund.
10(e) Moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect Fund
11Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of 2003 are
12subject to Section 16320 of the Government Code. If the
13commission determines a need for moneys in the California
14Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund, the commission
15shall notify the Director of Finance of the need, as specified in
16Section 16320 of the Government Code. The commission shall
17not increase the rates authorized by the commission to fund the
18program specified in subdivision (b) while moneys loaned from
19the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund
20in the Budget Act of 2003 are outstanding unless both of the
21following conditions are satisfied:
22(1) The
Director of Finance, after making a determination
23pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 16320 of the Government
24Code, does not order repayment of all or a portion of any loan
25from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee
26Fund within 30 days of notification by the commission of the need
27for the moneys.
28(2) The commission notifies the Director of Finance and the
29Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in writing
30that it intends to increase the rates authorized by the commission
31to fund the program specified in subdivision (a). The notification
32required pursuant to this paragraph shall be made 30 days in
33advance of the intended rate increase.
34(f) Subdivision (e) shall become inoperative upon full repayment
35or discharge of all moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect
36Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of
2003.
Section 280.1 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
38read:
The commission shall develop and implement an
40outreach plan to preschools and transitional kindergartens to
P4 1increase awareness of services available to these schools under
2the program developed pursuant to Section 280.
Section 280.2 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
4read:
(a) (1) The commission shall open or amend an existing
6proceeding to develop a plan on the feasibility and expense
7associated with establishing and maintaining a database of
8communication services purchased by qualifying entities receiving
9financial support from the program developed pursuant to Section
10280 and the prices paid for those communication services.
11(2) The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
12(A) A report on how to allow qualifying entities access to the
13database in order to collaborate and allow for the use of common
14infrastructure to reduce costs.
15(B) A report on
how to make only aggregated and anonymous
16price information from the database available to the public on the
17commission’s Internet Web site.
18(3) In developing the plan required under this subdivision, the
19commission may work with a third party, including, but not limited
20to, a nonprofit organization, if the commission determines the third
21party can provide assistance in developing the plan while
22maintaining the privacy and security of all data through a suitable
23legally binding agreement.begin insert For the purposes of this paragraph,
24the Kend insertbegin insert-12 High-Speed Network and the California State Library
25shall collaborate with the commission and share data and contact
26information related to services that schools and libraries purchase
27that are eligible for discounts pursuant to
Section 280.end insert
28(4) The commission shall report the plan findings or progress
29on the plan to the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce,
30the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications,
31and the Legislature no later than March 1, 2016.
32(b) The commission shall revise the program developed
33pursuant to Section 280 to give priority to using moneys in the
34California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund for
35advanced communications services as the commission deems
36appropriate. The commission shall ensure that the program
37developed pursuant to Section 280 does not favor a particular
P5 1technology used to provide advanced communications services to
2qualifying entities.
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