Public Utilities Commission: communications: low-income customers.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on how the commission will work with advisory boards to increase participation, nor does it explicitly mention that violations are crimes without further context.

Public Utilities Commission: Low-Income Customer Programs

AB-2424 increases the membership of the Low-Income Oversight Board and establishes a new advisory board for telecommunications, requiring both boards to advise on low-income customer programs and ensuring fair treatment of all technology providers in lifeline services.

What This Bill Does

• Expands the Low-Income Oversight Board from 11 members to 13 by adding two more members with expertise in low-income issues.
• Creates a new Low-Income Telecommunications Advisory Board to advise on telecommunications programs for low-income customers.
• Requires both boards to monitor and evaluate programs provided to low-income electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications customers.
• Prohibits the Public Utilities Commission from favoring one technology or provider over another when administering lifeline services.

Who It Names or Affects

• Low-Income Oversight Board members and new Low-Income Telecommunications Advisory Board members.
• Public Utilities Commission
• Low-income electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications customers

Terms To Know

Lifeline Program

A program that provides low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service.

Public Utilities Commission

The state agency responsible for regulating public utilities, including electricity, gas, and telecommunications services.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify the exact criteria for selecting new board members.
• Requires no reimbursement to local agencies or school districts.

Official Summary Text

AB 2424, as amended, Carrillo.
Public Utilities Commission: communications: low-income customers.
Existing law establishes the Low-Income Oversight Board
with 11 specified members, including 5 members selected by the Public Utilities Commission who have expertise in the low-income community and who are not affiliated with any state agency or utility group and one member selected by the commission who is a representative of an electrical or gas corporation. Existing law
and
requires the
board
Low-Income Oversight Board
to advise the
commission
Public Utilities Commission
on low-income electricity, gas, and water customer issues, and to, among other things, monitor and evaluate implementation of all programs provided to low-income electricity, gas, and water customers.
This bill would
increase the membership of
the board to 13 members by adding an additional member selected by the commission who has expertise in the low-income community and who is not affiliated with any state agency or utility group and an additional member selected by the commission who is a representative of wireless lifeline providers and is affiliated with a provider with headquarters in the state.
establish the Low-Income Telecommunications Advisory Board with specified membership.
The bill would require the
board to also
Low-Income Telecommunications Advisory Board to, among other things,
advise the commission on low-income telecommunications customer
issues
issues, serve as a liaison for the commission to low-income customers and stakeholders, provide certain reports to the Legislature,
and
to
monitor and evaluate implementation of all programs provided to low-income telecommunications
customers.
customers, as provided. The bill would require the commission, in conjunction with the Low-Income Telecommunications Advisory Board, to increase participation in programs for low-income telecommunications customers and ensure that the cost burden of low-income telecommunications customers is reduced, as specified.
Existing law vests the commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone
corporations. 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.
This bill would
prohibit the commission, in administering the lifeline program, from
favoring or disfavoring one technology over another technology and from unfairly advantaging or disadvantaging one provider over another provider.
require the commission to administer the lifeline program in a technologically inclusive manner and would prohibit the commission from discriminating against lifeline providers by adopting rules that favor or disfavor certain providers.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or of an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because the provisions of this bill would be part of the act, and a violation of a commission action implementing its provisions would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local
program.
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.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF