Bill Text: CA SB704 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Telecommunications: Moore Universal Telephone Service Act.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-01-13 - Veto sustained. [SB704 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB704-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  July 02, 2019

Amended  IN  Senate  April 11, 2019

Amended  IN  Senate  March 27, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 704

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Introduced by Senator Bradford

February 22, 2019

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An act to add Sections 871.6 and 871.8 871.6, 871.8, and 871.9 to, to repeal Section 872 of, and to repeal and add Section 878 of, the Public Utilities Code, relating to telecommunications.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 704, as amended, Bradford. Telecommunications: Moore Universal Telephone Service Act.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act established the lifeline telephone service program in order to provide low-income households, as defined, with access to affordable basic residential telephone service. Existing law requires that a lifeline telephone service subscriber be provided with one lifeline subscription at the subscriber’s principal place of residence.

This bill would revise the definition of “household” for these purposes and would require that a lifeline telephone service subscriber be provided with one lifeline subscription per household and be eligible for lifeline service at only one address. The bill would limit a household to a single lifeline subscription, except as provided. The bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2020, to initiate a proceeding in an existing proceeding, to determine whether a lifeline telephone service subscriber should shall be permitted an additional lifeline subscription for broadband services and would require the commission to issue a decision in the proceeding by no later than July 1, 2022. The bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2020, as part of an existing proceeding, to update the lifeline program to address certain issues. The bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2021, to update rules for the lifeline program to to, among other things, include various methods to, among other things, to increase participation of eligible low-income individuals in the lifeline program. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with relevant state agencies, 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 by members of certain vulnerable or disadvantaged groups. The bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2020, to enter into memoranda of understanding or interagency agreements with the State Department of Social Services and the State Department of Health Care Services for those departments to share specified information with the commission.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 Section 871.6 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

871.6.

 By no later than July 1, 2020, the commission shall initiate a proceeding to shall, in an existing proceeding, determine whether a lifeline telephone service subscriber should shall be permitted an additional lifeline subscription for broadband services. The commission shall issue a decision in the proceeding by no later than July 1, 2022.

SEC. 2.

 Section 871.8 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

871.8.

 (a) By July 1, 2020, the commission shall, as part of an existing proceeding, adopt updated rules for the lifeline program that include, update the program to address, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1) Allowing subscribers to enroll directly online using an electronic signature.

(2) Allowing each lifeline subscriber to complete the subscriber’s annual recertification of eligibility online using an electronic signature and verify their identity using personally identifiable information on file with the third-party administrator without using a commission-issued personal identification number (PIN).

(3) Allowing subscribers to recertify through an interactive voice response system.

(b) By July 1, 2021, the commission shall, as a part of an existing proceeding, adopt updated program rules that reflect program updates addressed pursuant to subdivision (a) and include, at a minimum, all of the following:

(a)

(1) Methods for increasing enrollment, participation, and renewal in the program by eligible low-income individuals commensurate with participation and renewal rates in other public purpose programs administered by the commission, such as the California Alternative Rates for Energy program.

(b)

(2) Methods for increasing the utilization of community-based or nonprofit organizations, as well as public agencies, to enroll subscribers in the lifeline program.

(c)

(3) Methods for increasing participation in the lifeline program by members of the vulnerable or disadvantaged groups identified in or pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 878.

(4) Consideration of methods to phase out the use of for-profit third-party originators to enroll subscribers.

(c) The commission shall do all of the following:

(1) Develop, in consultation with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, an outreach and enrollment program for the formerly incarcerated as a part of the department’s reentry services.

(2) Develop, in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs, an outreach and enrollment program for veterans.

(d) The commission shall accept, for enrollment purposes, identification issued to eligible inmates released from state prisons pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 3007.05 of the Penal Code and identification issued to eligible juvenile offenders released from a state juvenile facility pursuant to Section 3007.08 of the Penal Code.

(e) 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 lifeline program by members of vulnerable or disadvantaged groups identified in, or pursuant to, subdivision (d) of Section 878.

(f) The commission may establish enrollment criteria to increase participation by formerly incarcerated individuals that reflect the distinct challenges they encounter upon release from a juvenile facility, state prison, or other such facility.

SEC. 3.

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

871.9.

 (a) On or before July 1, 2020, the commission and the State Department of Social Services shall develop and enter into a memorandum of understanding or an interagency agreement that shall, at a minimum, require the department to share with the commission, to the extent authorized by federal law, on a recurring, nonrecurring, or real-time basis as needed by the commission, all of the following:

(1) Whether or not a particular individual is enrolled in a particular public assistance program administered by the State Department of Social Services.

(2) Whether or not a particular individual’s income is at or below a certain percentage of the federal poverty guidelines.

(3) Information from its databases necessary to verify information received on a lifeline application.

(4) A list of participants in public assistance programs administered by the State Department of Social Services that is relevant to their enrollment or potential enrollment in the lifeline program.

(b) On or before July 1, 2020, the commission and the State Department of Health Care Services shall develop and enter into a memorandum of understanding or an interagency agreement that shall, at a minimum, require the department to share with the commission, to the extent authorized by federal law, on a recurring, nonrecurring, or real-time basis as needed by the commission, all of the following:

(1) Whether or not a particular individual is enrolled in a particular public assistance program administered by the State Department of Health Care Services.

(2) Whether or not a particular individual’s income is at or below a certain percentage of the federal poverty guidelines.

(3) Information from its databases necessary to verify information received on a lifeline application.

(4) A list of participants in public assistance programs administered by the State Department of Health Care Services that is relevant to their enrollment or potential enrollment in the lifeline program.

SEC. 3.SEC. 4.

 Section 872 of the Public Utilities Code is repealed.

SEC. 4.SEC. 5.

 Section 878 of the Public Utilities Code is repealed.

SEC. 5.SEC. 6.

 Section 878 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

878.

 (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(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 that adult, both persons shall be part of the same household. A child under 18 years of age and living with a parent or guardian shall be part of the same household as the parent or guardian.

(b) A lifeline telephone service subscriber shall be provided with one lifeline subscription, as defined by the commission, per household and, except as provided in subdivision (c), no other member of that household is eligible for lifeline telephone service. A lifeline telephone service subscriber is eligible for lifeline service at only one address.

(c) Multiple lifeline telephone service subscribers may maintain the same address if they are not of the same household.

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), a lifeline telephone service subscriber who is any of the following shall be provided with one lifeline subscription, as defined by the commission and additional to the subscription of any other member of the household, so long as the subscriber is eligible for lifeline service:

(1) A foster youth.

(2) Formerly incarcerated.

(3) A Native American.

(4) A veteran.

(5) Deaf.

(6) Disabled.

(7) A member of another vulnerable or disadvantaged group commonly presenting complex guardianship or household compositions that would benefit from inclusion in the lifeline program, as determined by the commission.