AB 2395 DEGRADES 911, PUTS PUBLIC SAFETY, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES AT RISK
TURN (The Utility Reform Network) reported to members today on AB 2395 (Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley), which would give AT&T the go-ahead to abandon the landline-based phone networks customers depend on, and to pick and choose which customers it serves -- and which are cut off. California consumers in the millions, especially vulnerable seniors, and rural and low-income communities, may be left without reliable 911 service or even the most minimal protections. But AT&T wants to serve only those customers willing to accept VoIP, sold as part of larger, more expensive packages including Internet and cable or wireless service, which is spotty, unreliable and expensive.
Does this help Californians? NO.
► Copper landlines operate in power outages—unlike mobile or VOIP phones.
► VoIP-based 911 is less dependable because it requires battery back-up during power outages.
► Copper landlines permit Reverse 911 calls for fire or other emergency evacuations, even when the power is out.
► Emergency responders depend on copper when other networks go down.
Unregulated services just don’t compare:
► Limited service quality requirements to ensure reliable service and coverage.
► No requirements to offer low income programs or programs for the disabled.
► Customers have no where reliable to turn except the carrier if they have problems with billing or customer service complaints.
► No requirement to provide service to all customers under fair terms.
The legislation itself is seriously flawed:
...[This] bill is vague, confusing and could force smaller companies that rely on landlines out of the market, said Sarah DeYoung, executive director of the California Association of Competitive Telecommunications Companies.
“If this bill passed, we’d have one set of criteria for the state and one set for the FCC. It just doesn’t make sense,” DeYoung said. “AT&T doesn’t like what the FCC is doing. So it’s an end run.”
The bill is scheduled for an April 13 hearing before the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee.
—full article by Samantha Young, April 07, 2016 techwire.net
California’s legislature should put safety before AT&T’s anti-consumer, corporate agenda. In this state alone, 3.6 million small businesses rely on copper phones for alarm monitoring, credit card transactions, and other essential operations. Millions more consumers, including families with small children, rely on the emergency communication that only copper dependably provides. Our legislature must protect the right of vulnerable communities to choose reliable phones, and keep copper until there’s a comparable alternative.
Use the link at the bottom of this page to tell your legislator “NO on AB2395. Please be patient if it doesn’t load immediately, because you’re not alone — opposition to this bill includes consumer groups, labor, representatives of seniors’ organizations, and other vulnerable communities: ■ Access Humboldt ■ Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County ■ CA Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) ■ Family Advocacy Center Services ■ County of Mendocino ■ Greenlining ■ IDEPSCA ■ Media Alliance ■ National Consumer Law Center ■ National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) ■ Public Citizen ■ San Diego Area Congregations for Change (SACC) ■ TURN ■ Utility Consumers’ Action Network (UCAN)
READ MORE ABOUT IT
En Español — “Consumidores y trabajadores se unen para defender al 911 contra el proyecto de ley AB 2395 —El proyecto de ley de AT&T debilita el 911 y pone en riesgo la seguridad pública, a los pequeños negocios y a los clientes de zonas rurales...”
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UPDATE: PLEASE ALSO SEE AT&T has a bill pending allowing it to end landline service in California in 2020 By elfling Monday Apr 04, 2016