Bay Area elected leaders hoping to preserve what’s perceived as a vital service in isolated mountain and coastal regions Saturday spoke out in support of a proposed California Public Utilities Commission decision affecting AT&T’s moves to scrap traditional landlines.
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, each issued statements in favor of the proposed decision issued Friday by PUC Administrative Law Judge Thomas J. Glegola rejecting AT&T’s proposal to withdraw as a carrier of last resort.
“I am pleased that the California Public Utilities Commission’s Administrative Law Judge rejected AT&T’s dangerous application to be relieved of its obligation to provide basic network telephone service to any customer requesting it because there is no other company willing to provide that service to everyone,” Mueller said in a statement.
“We will continue to advocate for all San Mateo County residents’ ability to choose landline service so that they can communicate when cellular service is unavailable, unreliable or down, especially in cases of emergency,” Mueller said.
Eshoo said, “I applaud the California Public Utilities Commission’s decision to deny AT&T California’s request to no longer meet its obligations as the carrier of last resort.”
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The congresswoman continued, “Many of my constituents live in remote, hard to access areas where cell service and internet access is spotty, unreliable, and in some cases, completely unavailable. Many others are elderly and retired, living on fixed incomes. They rely on their landline service for all their communications. Maintaining carrier of last resort status ensures every Californian has access to reliable and affordable communications no matter where they live. This decision is a victory for them.”
Until and unless the CPUC hears the item and votes to approve it, the proposed decision has no legal effect.
In March 2023, AT&T California — the only carrier in the state that has landlines — applied with the CPUC to be relieved from its legal designation as the “carrier of last resort” in targeted areas. The designation obligates a carrier to serve all customers within their territory, including extending facilities where necessary to provide service.
If its request to the CPUC is approved, the company can drop wires for most of its service area.
Mueller’s concern stems from the fact that many people in San Mateo live in remote coastal areas that get hit hard by storms. In the 2020 CZU fire, landlines allowed those people to receive reverse 911 calls from their county departments of emergency management. He wants landlines to remain available to those residents during a hazardous event, like a flood or fire, when cell service gets knocked out.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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