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Lawmakers and CPUC debate whether to extend, revise or sunset surcharge funding the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program
Summary
The CPUC proposed trailer‑bill language to extend the surcharge that funds the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program; lawmakers and advocates debated whether to handle changes in the budget trailer or in a policy bill and whether to retain a sunset clause.
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 took testimony on the California Public Utilities Commission’s request to extend the surcharge that funds the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program and on proposed trailer‑bill language to do so.
Rachel Peterson, executive director of the CPUC, said the request is primarily to extend collection of the 12‑cent per access‑line surcharge that supports the program, and that the commission selected a trailer‑bill vehicle because of fiscal timing. "It is really about the 12¢ per access line surcharge," Peterson said. She acknowledged lawmakers’ concerns about accountability and said the CPUC will work with any policy bill the Legislature chooses to advance.
Lawmakers expressed differing views. Some members said the program should be continued without a sunset because many Californians depend on the service; others said a sunset allows periodic legislative reevaluation in light of technology and cost changes. Assemblymember Robin (surname not specified in transcript) said the program serves about "three quarters of a million" Californians and cautioned that removing oversight could risk the program. Other lawmakers urged moving oversight and structural changes to a policy bill—Assemblymember Berner said her committee had introduced AB 1532 to address accountability and related governance questions.
Why it matters: The Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program provides devices and services for Californians with hearing, speech or mobility disabilities. Decisions about the surcharge, accountability measures and statutory structure affect continuity of service and program oversight.
What’s next: The CPUC and Legislature will negotiate whether to proceed via budget trailer language or through a policy bill; committee members requested more guardrails and assurances about the program’s ongoing funding and oversight.
