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By Ruth Dusseault. Bay City News.
AT&T's recent moves to eliminate traditional landlines have raised concerns from some Bay Area elected leaders who are hoping to preserve what is perceived as a vital service in isolated coastal and mountain regions.
In remote regions where cell service is spotty, landlines can be a lifeline in a crisis, according to San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller. At Tuesday's board of supervisors meeting, he told the company to share specific details.
“How many clients are you listing right now?” said. “In what period will this happen and how many of them do you think will have reliable alternative services at that time? And what information do you have about the lack of network reliability on the coast, because AT&T is also a cell phone provider?”
Daren Chan, the AT&T representative present at the meeting, agreed to find experts who will provide testimony and produce documents. The material will be used at a hearing to study actions the county could take to address emergency preparedness in unincorporated areas, such as the coast.
That public hearing in San Mateo is scheduled for March 12 at 1:00 p.m.
Mueller's concern stems from the fact that many people in San Mateo live in remote coastal areas that are hit hard by storms. In the 2020 CZU fire, landlines allowed those people to receive reverse 911 calls from their county emergency management departments. He wants landlines to remain available for those residents during a dangerous event, such as a flood or fire, when cell service goes out.
In March 2023, AT&T California applied to the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, to be relieved of its legal designation as an “operator of last resort” in specific areas. The designation, a cornerstone of utility regulation, requires a carrier to serve all customers within its territory, including expanding facilities when necessary to provide service. AT&T California has maintained that designation since 1996. It is the only operator in the state that has landlines.
If its application to the CPUC is approved, the company can wire most of its service area.
In January, letters began arriving to San Mateo residents. The company told people they may no longer provide landline service if their application is approved. A map linked to the app on the CPUC website shows the affected areas, including San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County and, in fact, much of the Bay Area.
A Thursday email from an AT&T spokesperson said there has been a dramatic and continuing decline in the number of customers subscribing to its traditional landline voice service over the past two decades, and that Californians have many options available, including voice service over fiber or wireless.
“In California, 99.7 percent of consumers within our service territory have at least three alternative facilities-based voice service options,” AT&T said. “For customers who do not have alternatives available, we will continue to provide service until an alternative is available.”
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, Senate Bill 156 (2021) provided more than $6 billion to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved communities. Even with funding, Internet availability can differ greatly among neighbors due to individual financial limitations, the elevation of a home, signage obstacles, accessibility to work trucks, and the accuracy of previous attempts to estimate access to an area.
A CPUC fact sheet provided with AT&T's application says: “An area without a provider of last resort could mean that there would be no landline company serving that area and possibly no access to landlines for customers. in that area.” Other elected officials taking a position opposing AT&T's request include U.S. Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-16), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and Mike Thompson (CA-04).
State supporters include State Senator Josh Becker and Assemblyman Marc Berman.
Starting Thursday, Mueller said, Santa Cruz County will collaborate with San Mateo and share their findings. Santa Clara Supervisor Joe Simitian issued a statement Thursday saying he will also ask his board of supervisors to address the issue at its March 12 meeting.
According to Mueller, the CPUC has received more than 3,000 public comments on AT&T's application, filled with testimony about how important landline connectivity is to them and how it keeps them safe when there are wildfires, natural disasters, power outages. and other emergencies.
The final opportunities for public comment on AT&T's request to the CPUC are scheduled for March 14 in Indio, and there will be a virtual session on March 19.
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