SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Public Utilities Commission has proposed rejecting AT&T’s application to stop providing landlines and other services in areas where there is no other option.
The telecommunications giant is the “carrier of last resort” for California, an official designation that means it covers most major cities, rural communities, and the land of more than 100 tribal governments. To find out if your home is in that area visit this website.
More than 5,000 public comments were written in response to AT&T’s application. Nearly 6,000 people attended eight public forums held in the past few months. Numerous commenters note that due to inconsistent cell coverage in their area, their landline is their primary means of communication with family, medical providers, and the outside world in the event of an emergency.
No telecommunications companies responded to AT&T’s application to replace it as the carrier of last resort.
AT&T argued that voice over internet service from cable companies including Cox and Comcast and mobile providers such as Verizon can meet people’s communication needs. The public utilities commission disagrees. So does the administrative law judge who dismissed the application with prejudice in a decision last week.
- Judge Thomas Glegola: “It is not clear why AT&T filed this application, under existing rules and then attempted to convince the Commission that it should ignore its rules, based on flawed and erroneous assertions…”
In a statement to CalMatters, an AT&T spokesperson said that they’re disappointed with the ruling and that robust competition today means the monopoly rationale behind the designation no longer applies.
The decision is not final until the utilities commission votes at a June 20 meeting, when the commission will also consider changing rules for carriers of last resort.
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
WATCH MORE: In March, AT&T California & Pacific States President Marc Blakeman was grilled by Yolo County customers at a town hall meeting in Woodland.
