California legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
California SB1191: Communications: universal service programs.
Status: Chaptered, September 27, 2026
What the bill says
An act to amend Sections 275.6 and 276.5 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to communications, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. communications, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately Communications: universal service programs. Existing law authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to supervise and regulate every public utility in the state, including telephone corporations, and to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for public utilities…
From the chaptered text, September 27, 2026:
An act to amend Sections 275.6 and 276.5 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to communications, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. communications, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately Communications: universal service programs. Existing law authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to supervise and regulate every public utility in the state, including telephone corporations, and to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for public utilities. Existing law establishes the state’s 6 universal service funds in the State Treasury, including the California High-Cost Fund-A Administrative Committee Fund (CHCF-A) and the California High-Cost Fund-B Administrative Committee Fund (CHCF-B), and provides that moneys in each of the state’s universal service funds are the proceeds of rates and are held in trust for the benefit of ratepayers and to compensate telephone corporations for their costs of providing universal service. Moneys in the funds may only be expended to accomplish specified telecommunications universal service programs, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation. Existing law, the CHCF-A program, until January 1, 2028, requires the commission to develop, implement, and maintain a suitable program to establish a fair and equitable local rate structure aided by universal service rate support to small independent telephone corporations that serve rural areas and are subject to rate-of-return regulation by the commission. …