Simitian calls on County to advocate on behalf of County residents on AT&T proposal
SAN JOSE – County Supervisor Joe Simitian previewed for his colleagues and County staff that he will be asking the County to take up the issue of “Carrier of Last Resort” (COLR) landline phone service at the March 12 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Simitian’s effort is in response to AT&T’s application to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to relieve itself of its obligations as a COLR. Being a COLR is intended to ensure that everyone in California has access to safe, reliable, and affordable telephone service—meaning landline or plain old telephone service.
“There are communities across our entire county where a landline is the only reliable form of communication,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. “This voice service is crucial for folks who live in areas where mobile phone and internet service is non-existent or spotty.”
Should the CPUC approve AT&T’s application, AT&T would no longer be required to provide landline telephone service. If another carrier does not volunteer to become the next COLR, affected County residents could have no other options.
At Simitian’s prompting, Santa Clara County is already engaged in another CPUC proceeding; advocating for the CPUC to ensure compliance with its own rule that wireless carriers have, at minimum, 72-hour battery backup for communication equipment located in Tier 2 and Tier 3 High Fire Threat Districts—to ensure maintenance of service during a disaster or power outage.
“The reality of the situation,” said Simitian, “is that in many cases wireless is an imperfect replacement for physical landlines. In communities throughout the county wireless communication is spotty at best, and susceptible to downtime. Copper landlines do not suffer from such issues.”
“While it is currently unclear if the County can be a formal participant in the AT&T proceeding, I will be asking County staff to explore all options to help preserve and keep open these lines of communication,” said Simitian. “At the very least, our County should be advocating on behalf of its residents.”