BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1379
Author: Calderon (D)
Amended: 7/15/03 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE ENERGY, U. & C. COMMITTEE : 5-2, 7/8/03
AYES: Bowen, Alarcon, Dunn, Murray, Vasconcellos
NOES: Battin, McClintock
ABSENT/NO VOTE RECORDED: Morrow, Sher
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/8/03 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Telecommunications: mobile telephony service
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires wireless carriers to provide
subscribers with a means to access information on their
roaming usage and charges.
ANALYSIS : Current law requires cellular phone companies
to provide customers with a means of obtaining reasonably
current information on service usage, as determined by the
cellular phone company, by 1/1/04.
This bill adds roaming usage and charges to the information
that must be provided by the cellular phone company, if
feasible.
Background
CONTINUED
AB 1379
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2
Most cellular telephone service plans include a specified
number of minutes of service in the monthly price. Minutes
beyond that specified number are subject to additional,
relatively high charges, which motivate customers to try
and keep close track of their usage. For example, a
typical plan might cost $39.99/month, which includes up to
400 minutes of service (10 cents a minute if the customer
uses all 400 minutes), but that 401st minute and every
minute of usage after that may cost customers 40 cents
apiece.
In response to this concern, the Legislature passed, and
the Governor signed, SB 1903 (O'Connell), Chapter 286,
Statutes of 2002, which required cellular phone companies
to provide customers with reasonably current information on
usage. Recognizing the technical limitations on obtaining
up to the moment usage information, the statute provided
the cellular companies with flexibility by allowing them to
determine what information is current and available.
Comments
This bill requires cellular phone companies to provide
customers with current information on roaming charges and
usage upon customer inquiry, if the cellular phone company
determines that such information is available. This is a
modest expansion of existing law.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/14/03)
State Office of Ratepayer Advocates
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Bogh,
Calderon, Chan, Chavez, Chu, Cogdill, Cohn, Corbett,
Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz, Dutra, Dutton, Dymally,
Firebaugh, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg, Hancock, Harman,
Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Jackson, Keene, Kehoe,
Koretz, La Malfa, La Suer, Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieber,
Liu, Longville, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Matthews, Maze,
AB 1379
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3
McCarthy, Montanez, Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nakano,
Nation, Negrete McLeod, Nunez, Oropeza, Pacheco, Parra,
Pavley, Plescia, Reyes, Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Runner,
Salinas, Samuelian, Simitian, Spitzer, Steinberg,
Strickland, Vargas, Wiggins, Wolk, Wyland, Wesson
NC:mel 7/15/03 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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