Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program.

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation uses 'million' instead of 'thousand', which is not explicitly supported by the official source.

Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Extension

The bill extends the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program until December 31, 2034, requiring a surcharge to fund equipment and services for people with disabilities.

What This Bill Does

• Extends the requirement for the Public Utilities Commission to collect a surcharge of up to $100 million per year until 2034.
• Requires collected funds from the surcharge to be transferred into the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Administrative Committee Fund.
• Removes the commission's authority to adjust the surcharge level but allows them to recommend funding levels to the Legislature.
• Makes it a crime for anyone to violate orders or rules set by the Public Utilities Commission regarding this program.

Who It Names or Affects

• People with disabilities who use telecommunications equipment and services funded by the program.
• Telecommunications providers that offer equipment and services under the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program.
• The Public Utilities Commission, which administers the surcharge and fund.

Terms To Know

Surcharge

An extra fee added to phone bills to collect money for a specific purpose.

Public Utilities Commission

A government agency that regulates public utilities, including telecommunications services.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how the funds will be used beyond ensuring they are available for equipment and service providers.
• It is unclear what specific adjustments the commission can no longer make to the surcharge level after January 1, 2025.

Official Summary Text

SB 142, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review.
Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program.
Existing law establishes the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program and requires the Public Utilities Commission to administer a surcharge to collect revenues of up to $100,000,000 per year until January 1, 2025, subject to an annual appropriation of moneys by the Legislature, to allow providers of equipment and service pursuant to the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program to recover their costs as they are incurred. Existing law establishes the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Administrative Committee Fund for the program described above.
This bill would extend the requirement on the commission to collect the surcharge described above until December 31, 2034, subject to annual appropriation of moneys by the Legislature, and would
require the commission to transfer moneys it collects from the surcharge to the Controller for deposit into the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Administrative Committee Fund.
Existing law requires the commission to annually review the surcharge level and the balances in the fund identified above. Existing law authorized, until January 1, 2025, the commission to make necessary adjustments to the surcharge to ensure that the programs supported by the surcharge are adequately funded and that the fund balances are not excessive, as defined.
This bill would repeal that requirement and, instead, would authorize the commission to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding appropriations under the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program.
Under existing law, a violation of an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill’s requirements 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.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF