The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has proposed rejecting AT&T’s request to end its obligation as the state’s Carrier of Last Resort (COLR). This contentious request, submitted earlier in the year, raised communication concerns throughout rural California. Sheriffs’ offices in Plumas and Sierra counties warned of the detrimental impacts on local residents and emergency services.
The COLR status requires AT&T to offer essential telephone services, most commonly by landline, to anyone requesting service. The CPUC’s proposal to reject AT&T’s application followed extensive public participation, including over 5,000 comments and eight public forums attended by more than 5,800 people. Public comments highlighted the unreliability of alternatives like mobile wireless or VoIP, a sentiment strongly voiced by Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns.
The commission found that AT&T did not meet the withdrawal requirements, failing to demonstrate the availability of alternative providers that meet the COLR definition.
AT&T argues to cease its 27-year-old obligation, stating that “about 90 percent of AT&T California’s former customers have left its plain old telephone service (POTS)” for newer services like mobile and broadband. The company adds that the obligation “makes them keep [its] old copper network even though they are working on new and better networks like fiber and wireless broadband.”
The CPUC, in addition to proposing the rejection of AT&T’s request, plans to initiate a new Rulemaking process for COLR telecommunications service obligations. This proposal will be on the CPUC’s June 20 Voting Meeting agenda.
