Alex Padilla
- Democratic
Author
(1) Existing law, the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, establishes a program of cooperative federalism for the regulation of telecommunications to attain the goal of local competition, while implementing specific, predictable, and sufficient federal and state mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service, consistent with certain universal service principles. The universal service principles include the principle that consumers in all regions of the nation, including low-income consumers and those in rural, insular, and high cost areas, should have access to telecommunications and information services, including interexchange services and advanced telecommunications and information services, that are reasonably comparable to those services provided in urban areas and that are available at rates that are reasonably comparable to rates charged for similar services in urban areas. Existing law authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to supervise and regulate every public utility in the state, including telephone corporations, and to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for the public utility. Existing law establishes the state's universal service funds, including the California High-Cost Fund-A Administrative Committee Fund (CHCF-A) and the California High-Cost Fund-B Administrative Committee Fund (CHCF-B) , in the State Treasury, and provides that moneys in each of the state's universal service funds are the proceeds of rates and are held in trust for the benefit of ratepayers and to compensate telephone corporations for their costs of providing universal service. Moneys in the funds may only be expended to accomplish specified telecommunications universal service programs, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation. Existing law, until January 1, 2013, requires the commission to develop, implement, and maintain a suitable program to establish a fair and equitable local rate structure aided by universal service rate support to small independent telephone corporations that serve rural areas and are subject to rate-of-return regulation by the commission (the CHCF-A program) . Existing law, until January 1, 2012, requires the commission to develop, implement, and maintain a suitable, competitively neutral, and broadbased program to establish a fair and equitable local rate support structure aided by universal service rate support to telephone corporations serving areas where the cost of providing services exceeds rates charged by providers, as determined by the commission (the CHCF-B program) . This bill would extend the repeal date of the CHCF-A and CHCF-B program requirements until January 1, 2015. (2) This bill would require the commission to require interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers to collect and remit surcharges on their California intrastate revenues in support of the universal service funds. The bill would make this requirement operative only if AB 841 is not enacted or fails to become effective on or before January 1, 2012. (3) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or an order or direction of the commission is a crime. Because the program that is extended under the provisions of this bill is within the act and a decision or order of the commission implements the program requirements, a violation of these provisions would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. (4) 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. (5) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 695, Statutes of 2011.
Approved by the Governor.
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2159.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2642.) Ordered to the Senate.
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (August 25).
Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (June 27). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on U. & C.
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1266.) Ordered to the Assembly.
Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 1111.) (May 26).
Set for hearing May 26.
Placed on APPR. suspense file.
Set for hearing May 2.
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0. Page 541.) (April 5).
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E., U., & C.
From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 6.
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
| Bill Text Versions | Format |
|---|---|
| SB3 | HTML |
| 12/06/10 - Introduced | |
| 03/29/11 - Amended Senate | |
| 04/12/11 - Amended Senate | |
| 05/31/11 - Amended Senate | |
| 06/20/11 - Amended Assembly | |
| 09/01/11 - Enrolled | |
| 10/09/11 - Chaptered |
| Document | Format |
|---|---|
| No related documents. |
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