CSAC Opposes AB 470: Bill Threatens Critical Telecommunications Access Across Counties
April 10, 2025
CSAC, in coalition with RCRC and UCC, strongly opposes Assembly Bill 470 (McKinnor), a bill sponsored by AT&T that would allow telecommunications providers to shed their Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligations.
A Step Backward for Connectivity and Public Safety
The COLR framework has long served as a safety net, particularly for rural and hard-to-reach communities. These obligations ensure that even in areas with limited commercial incentive, residents can still access essential telecommunications services — a lifeline during public safety emergencies, power outages, and natural disasters.
AB 470 would allow AT&T, which currently serves approximately 75% of Californians under COLR regulations, to exit these obligations based on a flawed three-tiered classification of service availability based on the U.S. Census Block. The bill relies on potentially inaccurate wireless coverage data, ignores the potential for future development in currently unpopulated areas, and places control over service withdrawal and challenges into the hands of the provider itself.
Counties Cannot Support a Provider-Controlled Exit
CSAC’s telecommunications platform underscores the importance of COLR obligations in ensuring community safety, promoting competition, and preserving equitable access to services. AB 470 runs counter to these goals by offering a path for provider-driven withdrawal from universal service requirements without sufficient oversight or accountability.
Removing COLR obligations — even in areas deemed “well served” — could lead to significant coverage gaps, especially for residents who depend on landline phones during power outages when cellular networks may be down.
Take Action: Counties Must Raise Their Voice
CSAC urges all counties to oppose AB 470 and communicate concerns to their legislative delegations before it is heard next in the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance on April 30. Preserving universal telecommunications access is essential to public safety, emergency response, and equity across all regions of the state.
