U.S. representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) and Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), along with 13 other members of the California delegation, sent a letter to California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Bushing Reynolds urging regulators to reject AT&T’s petition to end access to landline services to most California counties.
“The application to cease landline service in certain rural communities of the 19th Congressional District threatens public safety, especially in those areas vulnerable to natural disasters,” Panetta said. “We wanted to make sure that the CPUC fully understands the lack of connectivity in certain rural areas in good times and in bad, and the need for land lines for the people who live in those types of communities.”
AT&T has requested to be relieved of its “Carrier of Last Resort” obligations in much of California.
If approved, AT&T California (landline service, separate from cellular) would no longer be required to offer landline telephone service where it is currently required to offer “Basic Service” in those areas. Basic Service includes: Lifeline rates for eligible customers, free access to 9-1-1, Telephone Relay Service, and directory and operator services.
“As the CPUC considers AT&T’s proposal to discontinue lifesaving services, we think a clear-eyed analysis of the limitations of the cellular service in good conditions, and in the hilly and mountainous areas where disasters can cause prolonged power outages is necessary. We encourage you to fully and fairly consider the concerns from constituents in our districts about the impact the loss of land lines would have on the safety of our community,” the members wrote.
The Members of Congress signing the letter include Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), Lou Correa (CA-46), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Mike Levin (CA-49), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Katie Porter (CA-47), Adam Schiff (CA-30), and Mark Takano (CA-39).
The full letter follows:
•••
Dear Ms. Reynolds:
On behalf of the constituents of the California Delegation, we raise serious concerns with AT&T’s applications to be relieved of its Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligations and to remove its Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) designation in areas of California.
AT&T’s application to cease landline service in our communities threatens public safety in an area plagued by earthquakes, severe storms, floods, and fires and that has a geography that often disrupts cellular service for days, if not weeks, at a time.
During these times, residents are only able to contact emergency services and obtain emergency updates via their landlines. In fact, many of these areas do not have reliable cellular service on a good weather day, at best. If AT&T’s petition is granted, we think an exception for residents who live in areas with unreliable cellular service, where they are prone to fires, earthquakes, flooding, and landslides is warranted.
Congress has repeatedly passed legislation seeking to address the worsening severity of natural disasters and their impact on our constituents. For example, in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Congress provided $500 million for hazardous fuels mitigation; $500 million for prescribed fires; $500 million for communities to implement a community wildfire defense plan; $5 billion for utilities to underground power lines, install fire-resistant technologies, and expand the use of microgrids; and $3.5 billion for weatherization assistance to help homeowners make energy-efficient improvements that help fireproof their homes.
Ensuring residents are able to communicate and reach emergency services during these natural disasters addresses the Congressional concern with mitigating the loss of life and property during these natural disasters that often require federal funds for remediation for the loss of property. There is no remediation possible for the loss of life.
CPUC’s stated mission is to ensure Californians have safe, reliable utility services. We do not believe that removing access to landlines is compatible with this mission. When catastrophic earthquakes, destructive fires, cataclysmic landslides, or ravaging floods happen residents are left without the electricity or working cellular towers necessary for cellular phone usage for days and weeks at a time. These disasters are not figurative or future possibilities. They happen regularly in this area of the country.
For example, this year already hundreds of thousands of Californians who were without power due to the Pineapple Express weather system storms, floods, and landslides. The earthquake of 2022 left Californians without power for such an extended period of time, people were unable to charge their cellular phones. The only way to call for emergency services and stay in touch with the outside world was via neighbors that had landlines. What will happen if these landlines are removed? How will people call for emergency service in a disaster or in areas with poor cellular reception?
As of the morning of Feb. 7, 2024, you had over 3,000 comments asking you to deny the petition. We think these comments are worth consideration when determining whether to deny AT&T’s petition or to create an exception for residents who live in areas with unreliable cellular service, where they are prone to fires, earthquakes, flooding, and landslides.
As the CPUC considers AT&Ts proposal to discontinue lifesaving services, we think a clear-eyed analysis of the limitations of the cellular service in good conditions, and in the hilly and mountainous areas where disasters can cause prolonged power outages is necessary. We encourage you to fully and fairly consider the concerns from constituents in our districts about the impact the loss of land lines would have on the safety of our community.
Customers can register their opinion at http://tinyurl.com/ATT-no-landline-opinion.