BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 909|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 445-6614 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 909
Author: Bowen (D)
Amended: 8/24/06
Vote: 21
PRIOR SENATE VOTES NOT RELEVANT
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Telecommunications: video services: fair
competition
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the Public Utilities
Commission to expend up to $2 million for nonrecurring
installation costs of high-speed broadband services for
specified community organizations.
Assembly Amendments delete the prior version. As it left
the Senate, the bill was authored by Senator Escutia and
declared state policy to establish fair competition in the
areas of telecommunications and video services.
ANALYSIS : Existing law establishes a program within the
Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to provide discounts on
the installation of advanced telecommunications services
for community-based organizations to the extent that there
are surplus funds, as defined.
CONTINUED
SB 909
Page
2
This bill permits the PUC to provide to expend up to $2
million for the nonrecurring installation costs for
high-speed broadband services for specified community-based
organizations.
Comments
The purpose of this bill is to broaden the definition of
advanced telecommunications services to enable more
entities to qualify for the funding.
Current law permits the PUC to expend unencumbered funds
from prior-year California Teleconnect Fund appropriations
to provide an additional 40 percent discount on the
one-time installation costs for entities that do not have
access to advanced telecommunications services. Advanced
telecommunications services is defined as a digital
subscriber line (DSL) and T-1 technology.
Although funds have been reappropriated in subsequent
budget acts, very few applications have been received for
the funding. In order to allow more entities to apply,
this bill broadens the definition of advanced
telecommunications services to allow a system for the
transmission of information over the Internet at a speed of
at least 34 kilobits per second.
This bill was amended to omit the original contents and
replace them with language from SB 1788 (Bowen), which is
being held in the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
NC:cm 8/30/06 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****