AB 1231: Telecommunications: combining lifeline, federal lifeline, and federal Affordable Connectivity Program subsidies.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act establishes the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program in order to provide low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service.

This bill would, no later than February 1, 2024, require the commission to allow every a wireline and wireless lifeline telephone service subscriber to combine California lifeline subsidies with federal low-income communications subsidies, including, but not limited to, federal lifeline and federal Affordable Connectivity Program subsidies, on the same service line to provide a more robust voice and broadband plan. The bill would prohibit the commission from disallowing any portion of payment to a telephone corporation providing lifeline telephone service based on the combination of those subsidies. The bill would, where the full specific support amount, as defined, can be claimed based on the applicable retail service offering, prohibit the commission from denying the full specific support amount for California lifeline to a service line that combines those subsidies. subsidies, except as provided.