Amended  IN  Assembly  May 08, 2018
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 01, 2018
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 02, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 3111

Introduced by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia

February 16, 2018

An act to amend Section 878 of, to add Section 871.9 to, and to repeal Section 872 of, the Public Utilities Code, relating to telecommunications.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 3111, as amended, Eduardo Garcia. Telecommunications: universal service.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. 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. Existing law requires each lifeline telephone service subscriber to be provided with one lifeline subscription, as defined by the commission, at his or her principal place of residence, and provides that no bars from lifeline service eligibility any other member of that lifeline subscriber’s family or household, as defined, who maintains residence at that principal place is eligible for lifeline telephone service. of residence.
This bill would end the eligibility bar for lifeline service to more than one family member in a residence, retain that eligibility bar for lifeline service to more than one member of a household while deleting the definition of “household,” instead bar from lifeline service eligibility any member of a group of individuals who are living together with a lifeline subscriber at the same address and as one economic unit, as defined, and would assert that multiple lifeline telephone service subscribers may maintain the same principal place of residence. The bill would require the commission to ensure all eligible individuals are provided with information about the lifeline program and given equal opportunities to subscribe to the lifeline service, and would require the commission, as part of that outreach, to maximize the participation of all groups, including students, veterans, and the formerly incarcerated. The bill would require the commission to develop outreach and enrollment programs for the formerly incarcerated and for veterans. The bill would require the commission to consider accepting alternative forms of identification to increase participation in the lifeline program for certain purposes.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order, decision, or rule of the commission implementing its 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.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 871.9 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

871.9.
 (a) The commission shall ensure all eligible individuals, including students, veterans, and the formerly incarcerated, are provided with information about the lifeline program and given equal opportunities to subscribe to the lifeline telephone service. In performing this outreach, the commission shall seek to maximize the participation of all groups, including students, veterans, and the formerly incarcerated.
(b) (1) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, shall develop an outreach and enrollment program for the formerly incarcerated as a part of the department’s reentry services.
(2) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall develop an outreach and enrollment program for veterans.
(c) In addition to any other proof of identification required for enrollment in the lifeline program, the commission shall consider accepting for enrollment purposes alternative forms of identification to increase participation in the program for the purposes specified in subdivision (b).

SEC. 2.

 Section 872 of the Public Utilities Code is repealed.

SEC. 3.

 Section 878 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:

878.
 (a) A lifeline telephone service subscriber shall be provided with one lifeline subscription, as defined by the commission, at his or her principal place of residence, and no other member of that subscriber’s household who maintains residence at that place is eligible for lifeline telephone service.
(b) An applicant for lifeline telephone service may report only one address in this state as the principal place of residence.
(c) Multiple lifeline telephone service subscribers may maintain the same principal place of residence.
(d) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) “Adult” means any person 18 years of age or older.
(2) “Economic unit” means all adult individuals contributing to and sharing in the income and expenses of a household.
(3) “Household” means any group of individuals, including the subscriber, who are living together at the same address and as one economic unit. A household may include related and unrelated persons. If an adult has no, or minimal, income and lives with someone who provides financial support to him or her, both people shall be part of the same household. A child under 18 years of age and living with his or her parent or guardian shall be part of the same household as the parent or guardian.

SEC. 4.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.