BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1734
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1734 (Utilities Committee)
As Introduced March 26, 2001
Majority vote
UTILITIES AND COMMERCE 11-0
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|Ayes:|Wright, Canciamilla, | | |
| |Cardenas, Diaz, Jackson, | | |
| |Kelley, Nation, Papan, | | |
| |Reyes, Simitian, Wesson | | |
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SUMMARY : Sets forth a policy for encouraging the development
and deployment of infrastructure to support new technologies for
provision of telecommunications services in a way that
efficiently meets consumer need and encourages availability of
state-of-the-art services.
EXISTING LAW asserts a policy to:
1)Continue universal service commitment by assuring continued
affordability and widespread availability of high-quality
telecommunications service to all Californians.
2)Encourage development and deployment of new technologies, and
equitable provision of services in a way that efficiently
meets consumer need and encourages the ubiquitous availability
of a wide choice of state-of-the-art services.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill advances current policy to encourage
development and deployment of new technologies for
telecommunications services by adding the commitment to support
for development of the infrastructure required to provision
these new technologies.
California's economy will depend in large part upon the state's
ability to provide state-of-the-art communications networks and
services to meet the demand of technological development in the
world market. This bill affirms California's commitment to
development and deployment of the infrastructure necessary to
ubiquitously deploy such advanced services to residential and
AB 1734
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business customers throughout the state. More importantly, the
policy is geared toward efficiently meeting consumer need and
equitable provision of services, presumably across carriers and
technologies.
The universal service policy promulgated in this bill advances
California's telecommunications objectives firmly into the 21st
century in a non-discriminatory manner that is economically
efficient. Support of infrastructure development (on a policy
basis and to provide for economic and financial incentives as
appropriate) is necessary to also support advancement of the
technologies relying upon the infrastructure. Without adequate
infrastructure suitable to support high speed data and voice and
other similar technologies, any universal service policy and
commitment is essentially hollow. This bill completes the
circle of universal service support for emerging technologies.
Analysis Prepared by : Kelly Boyd / U. & C. / (916) 319-2083
FN: 0000641