Supporters, Foes of Calif. IP Transition Bill Trade Blows Ahead of Hearing

of America, National Consumer Law Center, National Hispanic Media Coalition and Public Citizen. A hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. PDT Wednesday on the bill, which would allow telcos in the state to transition to IP-based services in four years, if they first educate consumers about the transition (see 1603300054). TURN said the bill would authorize AT&T to strand many Californian customers who still rely on the copper network, including people in rural areas, low-income households, seniors and people with disabilities (see 1603290055). “Rather than modernizing phone service, this bill would take us back to the dark days when consumers were totally at the mercy of AT&T,” said TURN Executive Director Mark Toney Monday. “It will eliminate the most basic consumer protections, regardless of the enormous impact abandoning copper could have on emergency services and vital communications.” In a news conference Monday, AB-2395 sponsor Assembly Member Evan Low (D) called the bill a move toward the future: “California telecommunications law established in the 1950’s needs to be modernized so our state can continue to be the world’s innovation leader as well as the pioneer in addressing climate change. This legislation establishes a state policy for a clearly communicated, planned and orderly transition from the last vestiges of the outdated, and carbon unfriendly plain-old-telephone-service (POTS) network to modern, fiber-optic networks and services.” Local supporters include CALinnovates, the Congress of California Seniors, Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the San Jose Police Officers Association. The latter group’s vice president, James Gonzalez, responded directly to TURN’s claim the bill would make 911 less reliable for emergency calls, saying 75 percent of 911 calls “come from mobile phones, so we have to adapt to what consumers are using.”