Telecommunications: California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund.

Existing law, the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, establishes a program of cooperative federalism for the regulation of telecommunications to attain the goal of local competition, while implementing specific, predictable, and sufficient federal and state mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service, consistent with certain universal service principles. The universal service principles include the principle that elementary and secondary schools and classrooms, health care providers, and libraries should have access to advanced telecommunications service. The act authorizes states to adopt regulations not inconsistent with Federal Communications Commission rules to preserve and advance universal service. The act requires that every telecommunications carrier that provides intrastate telecommunications services contribute, on an equitable and nondiscriminatory basis, in a manner determined by the state, to the preservation and advancement of universal service in that state. The act authorizes each state to adopt regulations to provide for additional definitions and standards to preserve and advance universal service within the state, only to the extent that they adopt additional specific, predictable, and sufficient mechanisms that do not rely on or burden federal universal service support mechanisms. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for public utilities. Existing law requires that the commission develop, implement, and administer a program to advance universal service by providing discounted rates to qualifying schools, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations (teleconnect program) . Existing law establishes the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the State Treasury and requires the moneys in the fund, upon appropriation, be expended only for the teleconnect program. A commission decision establishes an annual limit on the reimbursement provided to the California Community Colleges as part of the teleconnect program. This bill would prohibit the commission, for a reimbursement limit adopted as part of the teleconnect program, from discriminating among program participants by imposing a limit on a single class of participants.