WASHINGTON-State lawmakers have introduced legislation to make the controversial bill of rights for telecom consumers the law of the land in California.
The measure-SB 1068-is authored by California State Sen. Martha Escutia (D), chairwoman of the Senate Committee on energy, utilities and communications. The bill’s cosponsors are Democratic Sens. Debra Bowen, Richard Alarcon and Liz Figueroa.
The bill, introduced Tuesday, comes in response to the California Public Utilities Commission’s recent decision to suspend the bill of rights until new consumer guidelines passed last May can be reexamined.
GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has appointed two new members to the CPUC since last year’s passage of the bill of rights, has joined with the mobile-phone industry in criticizing the rule. The bill of rights created a slew of guidelines designed to make advertising, billing and contracts easier to understand and fairer to consumers. Cell-phone companies argue the guidelines are burdensome, costly and unnecessary in light of the industry’s own voluntary code of conduct.
Commissioner Susan Kennedy, a pro-business Democrat and major critic of the bill of rights, will seek CPUC approval tomorrow to initiate an inquiry that could lead to an overhaul of the entire telecommunications regulatory regime in California.
The Democratic-controlled state legislature does not want to see the bill of rights sacked. The Senate has yet to confirm Schwarzenegger’s two new appointments to the CPUC, Dian Grueneich (D) and Steve Poizner (R) .
“The bill would require that the commission, by July 1, 2006, develop and enforce consumer protection rules for telecommunications service, including mobile telephony services, as defined, that achieve certain policies and meet specified requirements,” the legislation states. “The bill would additionally require that the commission, by July 1, 2006, develop and enforce consumer protection rules for charges for non-communications services on telephone corporation billings, that meet specified requirements.”
Consumer groups and state Attorney General Bill Lockyer strongly oppose any weakening of the bill of rights.
Schwarzenegger likely would veto any bill-of-rights legislation. It would be difficult for the California legislative to override such a veto.
