California’s Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program will continue to be...
California’s Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program will continue to be funded for more than a decade if a new bill passes, a California Public Utilities Commission analysis said. The CPUC supports the legislation, said the staff report posted Thursday (http://xrl.us/bog7z4),…
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suggesting some minor amendments. Senate Bill 129 was introduced Jan. 23 and referred to the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee Jan. 31. “This bill would extend imposition of the [Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Administrative Committee Fund intrastate] surcharge until January 1, 2024,” the bill text said (http://xrl.us/bog7zj). “The bill would extend the [CPUC] reporting requirements until January 1, 2025.” The surcharge isn’t to exceed one-half of 1 percent of the bill total. CPUC staff support extending the sunset date for several reasons, noting that the legislation would ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and “ensure that people who are challenged using a standard telephone because of difficulty seeing, hearing, speaking, moving or remembering continue to receive health and safety impacting services connecting them by telephone to emergency, medical, business and other entities,” the analysis said. If the bill doesn’t pass, the CPUC might overfund or underfund the program, the report added.