Kings County Board votes to oppose AB 470 over carrier-of-last-resort changes

The Kings County Board of Supervisors authorized the chairman to sign a letter of opposition to Assembly Bill 470, which staff said would allow telecommunication companies to be relieved of carrier-of-last-resort obligations that guarantee basic voice services including 911 access in areas the bill would deem "well served." The board voted in favor on April 29, 2025; one supervisor was absent.

Alex C. Walker, administrative analyst for Kings County administration, reviewed amendments to AB 470 and recommended opposition. Walker told the board the bill’s April 22, 2025 amendments would allow carriers to seek relief from "carrier-of-last-resort obligations" in areas the bill calls "well served," as reflected on the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map. "According to the FCC map attached, most of Kings County has 100% coverage represented by the blue hexagons and thus will be eligible to have its carrier-of-last-resort obligations relieved under AB 470 as amended," Walker said.

Why it matters: Walker and other county staff argued the FCC maps cited by the bill do not always reflect on-the-ground service quality. Walker said the bill would create a carrier-led dispute process in which a third party, selected and paid by carriers, would review carrier requests to drop obligations — a process county staff and some rural advocates called burdensome and lacking independent review. "AB 470 will allow carrier providers to shed its obligations without accountability or truly independent review," Walker said.

Board comments and vote: Supervisors emphasized consumer protection and emergency access concerns. Supervisor Robert Thayer said the county must ensure "everybody has access to communication," citing personal experience with copper theft and service unreliability. Supervisor Joe Neves and others said the county’s concern is protecting residents in remote areas who rely on guaranteed voice service for emergencies.

The county’s agenda packet attached maps showing overlap between locations that previously were targeted for carrier-of-last-resort relief in an AT&T California proceeding and areas mapped as 100% covered by the FCC. Walker said that overlap indicates a risk that residents could lose statutory protections even where service quality is poor. The county’s letter of opposition will be sent by the county state lobbyist if the board authorizes the chair to sign.

Additional context: Walker said AB 470 was scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee on April 30. The board’s packet noted letters of opposition filed by the Rural County Representatives of California and the California State Association of Counties; Walker said support letters on the bill did not come from local governments. The agenda packet included a public comment letter urging opposition and documentation of a 2023 CPUC proceeding in which AT&T sought relief from carrier-of-last-resort duties in parts of Kings County.

Outcome: The board authorized the chairman to sign a letter opposing AB 470 as amended. The record shows the motion passed on a roll call with four votes in favor and one member absent.

For transparency: The board’s staff report and the FCC broadband map were attached to the agenda packet and referenced during the presentation.