Section 871.7 Of Article 8. Universal Telephone Service From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 1. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 8.
871.7
. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act, enacted in 1987,
was intended to offer high quality basic telephone service at
affordable rates to the greatest number of California residents, and
has become an important means of achieving universal service by
making residential service affordable to low-income citizens through
the creation of a lifeline class of service.
(b) Factors such as competition and technological innovation are
resulting in the convergence of a variety of telecommunications
technologies offering an expanded range of telecommunications
services to users that incorporate voice, video, and data. These
technologies have differing regulatory regimes and jurisdictions.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission
initiate a proceeding investigating the feasibility of redefining
universal telephone service by incorporating two-way voice, video,
and data service as components of basic service. It is the
Legislature's further intent that, to the extent that the
incorporation is feasible, that it promote equity of access to
high-speed communications networks, the Internet, and other services
to the extent that those services provide social benefits that
include all of the following:
(1) Improving the quality of life among the residents of
California.
(2) Expanding access to public and private resources for
education, training, and commerce.
(3) Increasing access to public resources enhancing public health
and safety.
(4) Assisting in bridging the "digital divide" through expanded
access to new technologies by low-income, disabled, or otherwise
disadvantaged Californians.
(5) Shifting traffic patterns by enabling telecommuting, thereby
helping to improve air quality in all areas of the state and
mitigating the need for highway expansion.
(d) For purposes of this section, the term "feasibility" means
consistency with all of the following:
(1) Technological and competitive neutrality.
(2) Equitable distribution of the funding burden for redefined
universal service as described in subdivision (c), among all affected
consumers and industries, thereby ensuring that regulated utilities'
ratepayers do not bear a disproportionate share of funding
responsibility.
(3) Benefits that justify the costs.