Opposition Grows to California CPUC Amendment
Source: Communications Daily |By Philip Athey
Experts and advocacy groups are warning that California’s ACA-9, a proposed amendment that would remove telecom as a constitutionally defined public utility, could weaken regulation of the industry in the state. The constitutional amendment easily passed in the California Assembly last month on a 67-1 vote. It had previously advanced out of two committees with unanimous votes and without any formal opposition from outside groups, according to an analysis filed with the amendment.
Adria Tinnin, director of race equity and legislative policy at The Utility Reform Network (TURN), said the lack of formal opposition was just a logistics issue. “We didn't expect it to survive, and so we need to prioritize our limited resources on other pieces of legislation, but we're definitely very concerned about deleting the reference to telecom from the state constitution,” she said. “It’s an important Jenga piece.” While the amendment would remove telecom as a constitutionally defined public utility, it wouldn't change the state’s Public Utilities Code. It also wouldn't on its own remove telecom and broadband from the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) portfolio. It would instead direct the California legislature to create a new broadband agency that could take over telecom regulation if a future legislature chose.
