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Committee hears hours of testimony on AB 470, a proposal to replace carrier-of-last-resort duties and allow telecom transition; members and unions sharply split
Summary
AB 470 commanded the longest debate of the Senate Energy Committee hearing as supporters from AT&T, business groups and public safety officials urged modernization while labor unions, AARP and some counties warned the bill could let carriers abandon customers or erode emergency calling safeguards.
The Senate Energy Committee held more than two hours of testimony and member questioning on AB 470, a bill that would create a process for transitioning legacy copper landline service in well‑served areas and otherwise update carrier-of-last-resort (Kohler) obligations.
Assemblymember McKinner (author) described the bill as a "framework to facilitate the largest union-built private investment in advanced fiber optic networks" and stressed consumer protections the bill would require: interoperability, backup power compatibility, affordability safeguards and a CPUC-supervised transition process. She said the bill is designed to enable private investment in fiber while ensuring that no one is left without reliable voice and emergency 9-1-1 access.
Support came from AT&T, public safety officials and a broad coalition of…
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