TO: Napa County Legislative Subcommittee
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Jasmine Elo, Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Letter to CPUC opposing AT&T California's application for targeted relief from its Carrier of Last Resort obligation.
RECOMMENDATION
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Consideration of request by Napa County Broadband team to oppose the granting by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of AT&T California's application for targeted relief from its Carrier of Last Resort obligation.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AT&T is currently required by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to provide landline services upon request to all residential and business customers within its service territory as Carrier of Last Resort (COLR). AT&T estimates that around one million Californians rely exclusively on landlines. In March 2023, AT&T filed an application for relief from that obligation with the CPUC and provided notice to affected local customers and governments in early 2024. Other counties, including Marin and Sonoma, have submitted letters opposing the granting of AT&T's application, and this matter is now before the Napa County Legislative Subcommittee for consideration. This matter is outside of the scope of the County's Legislative and Regulatory platform and requires consideration and unanimous vote by the Legislative Subcommittee and by the Board of Supervisors to act.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
As a COLR, AT&T is required to offer landline phone service to all residential and business customers within its service area upon request. This service is known as "Plain Old Telephone Service" or (POTS) and has a uniform set of minimum service standards and regulations that do not apply to new technologies that provide similar service, such a...
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