WASHINGTON-Legislation could be introduced as early as today to write into state law the telecom consumer bill of rights approved last year by the California Public Utilities Commission, a move that comes in response to the agency’s recent decision to put new guidelines on hold while they are re-examined.
Sen. Martha Escutia (D), chairwoman of the Senate Committee on energy, utilities and communications, is expected to be lead sponsor of the bill of rights legislation.
Randy Chinn, chief of staff for the committee, said he expects legislation to be introduced today or Tuesday.
Escutia was one of eight state lawmakers who wrote CPUC President Michael Peevey Jan. 26-the day before the vote to suspend the bill of rights-to urge against indefinitely staying guidelines designed to promote greater wireless and wireline disclosure in advertising, billing and service contracts.
The mobile-phone industry and GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger assert the bill of rights is costly, burdensome and does more harm than good for consumers and the struggling state economy. Moreover, wireless service providers argue that industry’s voluntary code of conduct adequately addresses consumer complaints.
Commissioner Susan Kennedy, who last year toyed with the idea of exempting wireless carriers from the bill of rights, is the force behind the current campaign to sidetrack the consumer rule.
Wireless carriers have managed to largely avoid the sting of new consumer rules thus far. Most of the guidelines were to have gone into effect in December, but state regulators granted extensions for compliance with certain rule subparts. Then last month, the entire bill of rights was sidelined.
While politicking over the bill of rights plays out, there appears to be a related movement at the CPUC to consider a wholesale overhaul of the regulatory regime for state telecom carriers, including cellular operators.
