The Honorable Tina McKinnor
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 5520
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Assembly Member McKinnor:
On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, I write to oppose Assembly Bill 2797 (AB 2797), which would allow a Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) provider to abandon essential responsibilities and leave large swaths of the most vulnerable Californians without reliable and affordable access to basic telephone service.
AB 2797 relieves providers of their COLR obligations when notice is sent to the CPUC, citing the lack of customers or population in a census block and concludes it is no longer a COLR provider for that area. Additionally, a COLR provider is also relieved of its responsibilities under the law in census blocks that the provider states are served by two other alternative voice services, if affordable, as defined by the COLR provider. This bill establishes a process forgoing oversight and approval framework, empowering for-profit companies with financial incentives to make self-interested findings the sole arbiters of the truth and accuracy of that information.
The CPUC’s core function is to balance procedures and safeguards to protect consumers as well as ensure the provision of safe, reliable utility and infrastructure at reasonable rates. AB 2797 puts the industry’s interests ahead of the needs of some of the most disadvantaged Californians and will interfere with the ability to reach emergency services, receive evacuation notices, or simply call a friend or family member for help.
AB 2797 leaves affected customers with fewer market options in terms of choice, quality and affordability. As such, the minimal timeframe for COLR customers to transition to a different technology for voice service is woefully insufficient. We appreciate COLR provider's commitment to closing the digital divide and broadband availability gaps in low-income, rural, and tribal communities. We must, however, maintain proven communication systems to safeguard our residents during states of emergency.
For these reasons, we oppose AB 2797.
Sincerely,
Larry Micari, Chair
Tulare County Board of Supervisors
Cc: Members of the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee, Tulare County State Delegation, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange