California Appropriators OK Disbanding CPUC, Hold IP Transition Bill
California appropriators approved a measure to dissolve the state’s telecom regulator but held a controversial IP transition bill at a hearing Friday. The California State Assembly Appropriations Committee stamped “Do pass” on ACA-11, which erases the text that established the…
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California Public Utilities Commission and requires the legislature to restructure the body or reassign many of its duties to other agencies (see 1605260046). The CPUC hasn’t taken a position on the constitutional amendment, which requires two-thirds approval by both houses of the Legislature, then a ballot vote by Californians in November. Meanwhile, the committee decided to hold in committee AB-2395, which would authorize telcos to discontinue legacy telephone service in 2020 (see 1605180075). That makes it unlikely to get a floor vote by the end of this legislative session. AT&T supported the bill but consumer groups and workers, including The Utility Reform Network and Communications Workers of America, opposed it. “We’re incredibly disappointed in the decision to hold AB-2395, said Ben Golombek, chief of staff to Assembly member Evan Low, the Democratic sponsor of the bill. "The loser with this outcome is the consumers of California who will be stuck with a more expensive, more unreliable and more environmentally wasteful network for years to come."