On July 14, 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission Executive Director extended consumer protections for California residential and small businesses customers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This CPUC action means that the consumer protections -- first put in by Commission vote on Resolution M-4842 in April 2020 and strengthened in Resolution M-4849 in June 2021 -- have been extended until September 30, 2021.
What kinds of companies must provide this support? Essentially it is every type of voice provider (wireline, wireless or Voice Over Internet Protocol), so long as this provider interconnects the customer to the public switched telephone network and to emergency 9-1-1 services. These include, for example, AT&T landline telephone company, Frontier Communications, rural wireline telephone companies, wireless phone companies (such as AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile), any Lifeline voice provider (wired or wireless), any Voice Over Internet Protocol provider (which many cable operators like Comcast, Charter (Spectrum) or Cox that provide bundled voice services over its cable and broadband facilities), and any Carriers of Last Resort telephone companies.
What protections are residential and small business consumers entitled to due to the action of the California PUC? A customer who experiences a housing or financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic is entitled to keep its vital telecommunications voice services and receive support. Startiing in 2019, these protections also extend to California victims of natural or manmade disasters such as wildfires, floods and earthquakes. The consumer protections include:
- Waiver of activation fees to establish remote call forewarding, remote access to call forwarding features and messaging services;
- Waiver of the monthly rate for one month of remote call forwarding, remote access to call forwarding, call forwarding features, and messaging services;
- Waiver of the service charge for service installations at the temporary or new permanent location of the customer and again when the customer moves back to the premises;
- Waiver of the fee for up to five jacks and associated wiring for Inside Wiring Plan of the customer upon their return to their permanent location; and
- Waiver of the fee for one jack and associated wiring for non-Inside Wiring Plan customers upon their return to their permanent location.
The telecommunications companies are required to file Advice Letters with the Commission that it has implemented these Emergency Customer Protections during the pandemic.
