OROVILLE — AT&T is requesting permission from the California Public Utilities Commission to abandon its obligation as a “carrier of last resort” to many locations throughout the state including the majority of communities in Butte County.
As a carrier of last resort, AT&T is required to provide what it calls “plain old telephone service,” or landline phone service, upon request to all residential and business customers.
While it is not unusual for one company to replace another as a carrier of last resort, AT&T is requesting permission to abandon its obligation without finding a replacement.
According to the Rural County Representatives of California website, if the request is approved by the CPUC, more than 580,000 AT&T customers would be left with fewer options in terms of choice, quality and affordability. Alternative services, such as VoIP and cellular, have no obligation to serve a customer or to provide equivalent services to AT&T landline customers, including no obligation to provide reliable access to 911 or LifeLine program discounts.
The CPUC is hosting a virtual public hearing from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 19. To access the hearing by phone call 1-800-857-1917, passcode 6032788#. To access the hearing webcast go to www.adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc.
The CPUC is also taking public comments at https://bit.ly/3woXOv3.
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