Bill Text: CA AB162 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Communications: universal service programs: Public Utilities Commission reimbursement fees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 25-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-27 - Read third time. Refused passage. (Ayes 34. Noes 11. Page 3912.). [AB162 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AB162-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
| Assembly Bill | No. 162 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Kiley (Principal coauthor: Senator Jones) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bigelow, Brough, Cunningham, Diep, Flora, Fong, Gallagher, Lackey, Mathis, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Voepel, and Waldron) (Coauthors: Senators Bates, Borgeas, Chang, Grove, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Stone, and Wilk) |
January 07, 2019 |
An act to add Sections 283 and 431.5 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to communications.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 162, as introduced, Kiley.
Communications: universal service programs: Public Utilities Commission reimbursement fees.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law establishes the California High-Cost Fund-A Administrative Committee Fund, the California High-Cost Fund-B Administrative Committee Fund, the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Trust Administrative Committee Fund, the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Administrative Committee Fund, the Payphone Service Providers Committee Fund, the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund, and the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury and provides that moneys in the funds are held in trust and may be expended only to accomplish specified telecommunications universal service programs, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation.
This bill would prohibit the commission from collecting, for deposit into any universal service fund, any revenues derived from charges upon the provision of a communications service that the Federal Communications Commission has determined is an information service, as specified.
Existing law establishes the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account and authorizes the commission to annually determine a utility reimbursement fee to be paid by every public utility providing service directly to customers or subscribers and subject to the jurisdiction of the commission, except for a railroad corporation. The commission is required to establish the fee, with the approval of the Department of Finance, to produce a total amount equal to that amount established in the authorized commission budget for the same year, and an appropriate reserve to regulate public utilities, less specified sources of funding.
This bill would prohibit the commission from imposing a utility reimbursement fee that is applicable to the provision of a communications service that the Federal Communications Commission has determined is an information service, as specified.
