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AB 1665 is the result of the successful negotiation of a $330 million bill package to expand broadband access and digital literacy in communities deprived of a reliable internet connection.
Several past efforts to increase funding to close the connectivity gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” known as the “Digital Divide,” were intensely opposed by the largest telecommunications and cable companies.
After a three-year stalemate, this bill represents a cooperative effort between legislators of both houses and both parties, consumer advocates, and representatives from the telecommunications and cable industries to invest in broadband access and rural development.
“After years of failed efforts, I am proud that our group was finally able to break through,” said Aguiar-Curry. “I’ve been working on this issue as a local official for over a decade. I’ve watched families get their first email address, and farmworkers finally able to talk to their kids’ teachers despite their long work hours. I’ve witnessed how internet access can transform a community. AB 1665 will transform communities across California.”
“We knew it would be ‘three strikes and you’re out’ if we didn’t make it happen this year, but we got there” said Joint-Author Assemblymember Jim Wood. “Success for me was to use the limited resources of this fund, combined with the limited timeframe of this program, to reach those who have no access to broadband, many of whom live in the district I represent. We have a long way to go to achieve optimal speeds and access for everyone throughout the state, but we cannot leave anyone behind before that work starts.”
The California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) is a state program aimed at closing the Digital Divide.
The CASF does not depend upon general fund dollars, but instead is funded by a small, existing surcharge on in-state phone bills.
The current goal of this program is to incentivize the expansion of broadband infrastructure to 98 percent of California households.
AB 1665 expands this goal to 98 percent of households in every geographic region of the state. This new goal creates a target that cannot be achieved by serving urban and suburban areas alone; it will ensure broadband infrastructure projects funded by AB 1665 are focused in rural California.
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia added, “Legislative success for the ‘Internet for All Now Act of 2017’ will help increase connectivity to Californians stuck on the wrong side of the Digital Divide. This feat is attributed to the dedicated efforts of our bipartisan coalition of coauthors, who rallied together from all corners of our state to rectify our broadband infrastructure shortfall. Internet access has become a passport to health, economic, and educational opportunities. By extending funding into the California Advanced Services Fund we can provide access to this modern day necessity for our state’s most vulnerable communities.”
“The passage of AB 1665 marks an important step towards closing the Digital Divide, but in no way represents a panacea solution to the problem of internet access. This bill will focus funding in areas unserved by broadband, but that does not guarantee Californians can afford service or that the service always works well,” said Aguiar-Curry. “The governor’s signature on AB 1665 represents a critical step forward in the long road towards universal internet access. I look forward to continuing my work towards this goal in the years to come.”
Now law, AB 1665 will take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2018.
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
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"As shocking as $3 billion in insured losses are, the number is sure to grow, as more claims are coming," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "The insured losses only tell part of the tragic story of the October fires. We must remember that 43 people lost their lives and behind every insurance claim is someone who has lost their home, their business, and their precious memories. It will take years for these communities to recover and rebuild."
The latest report notes the widespread destruction resulted in damaging or destroying more than 14,700 homes, 728 business, and more than 3,600 private autos, commercials vehicles, and agricultural equipment and watercraft.
Commissioner Jones visited the wildfire zones throughout northern California and met with residents in the local assistance centers where he heard first-hand the harrowing stories of loss from victims who escaped with only minutes to spare.
Jones took extraordinary steps to assist wildfire victims by dispatching detectives from the department's law enforcement team to educate residents about how to avoid being victimized by scam artists who prey on vulnerable residents after disasters and sending consumer services teams to every local assistance center to personally meet with consumers and help them begin the claims process and answer insurance-related questions.
As of Oct. 29, the department's consumer services team assisted 1,163 individuals across the state, the majority of which were in Northern California.
Earlier this month, Jones also issued a notice to insurers asking them to expedite claims, by cutting through red tape and doing all they can do to help policyholders who are likely to have little or no documentation that insurers normally require.
Jones also signed a declaration of an emergency, which allows the insurers to tap out-of-state claims adjusters from their other offices, which effectively expands their claims adjuster workforce.
When processing tens of thousands of claims, this is an important step in increasing the claims processing capacity for insurers and helping speed the recovery and rebuilding process.
He also directed the licensing department to issue a notice to all licensed public adjusters and admitted carriers to remind them of the rules, regulations, and limitations on solicitation and compensation that govern public adjusters' work in California.
Jones also has an important caution for wildfire victims-be careful to check the license of contractors who solicit business-this is done quickly on the Contractors State License Board using a smart device.
Public adjusters are restricted from soliciting business from residents until seven days after evacuation orders are lifted.
Consumers who have any difficulty with their insurer will find the department's consumer services team stands ready to assist at 800-927-4357.
The department has recovered more than $300 million dollars for consumers since Jones took office in 2011.
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“At PG&E, our thoughts and prayers are with our customers and communities that have been impacted by these extraordinary wildfires. We realize this is a very difficult time for everyone and we want to help. With that, we are further enhancing our standing disaster billing and credit policies to allow our customers to focus on their families and futures. We will be with our customers every step of the way, towards rebuilding the communities that we are privileged to serve,” said Deborah Affonsa, PG&E’s vice president of Customer Service.
PG&E has a comprehensive disaster billing and credit policy in place that temporarily creates a billing hold, stopping bills during and after a disaster.
Under the policy, the company will not disconnect any customers within the disaster area for nonpayment during the period of the emergency.
PG&E will offer deposit relief for red-tag customers by returning deposits on accounts, if applicable and will not charge a new deposit for up to one year.
This policy will be in effect for “fire-affected areas” which include up to a quarter mile outside the fire perimeter as determined by Cal Fire.
In activating this policy in response to the October 2017 Northern California Wildfires, PG&E has:
– Suspended all collection actions at the onset of the wildfires for all customers, both residential and commercial, within the impacted communities and beyond for those impacted by poor air quality.
– Protected customers from collection action for one year, in the impacted communities until further notice.
– Waived account re-establishment deposits for affected customers.
– Continued working with customers to provide flexible, reasonable payment arrangements as needed.
PG&E has filed a request to the CPUC, by advice letter, to temporarily waive the cost of installation and removal of service extensions for temporary power under Electric Rule 13 for those customers who are rebuilding.
In order to support low-income customers impacted by the October 2017 Northern California Wildfires:
– PG&E will extend all California Alternative Rate for Energy (CARE) eligibility by 12 months in impacted counties. Approximately 42,000 customers will have their CARE eligibility extended into 2019.
– PG&E is freezing all standard and high-usage Post Enrollment Verification (PEV) requests in impacted counties until at least Dec. 31, 2017 and will revisit extending this freeze.
– PG&E has contacted nine Community Outreach Contractors, the community-based organizations who assist in enrolling hard-to-reach CARE customers, in impacted counties and sent information earlier this month on freezing standard and high-usage PEVs. Follow-up calls will be made to organizations as necessary.
– PG&E has contacted The Salvation Army, the administrator of Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH), a PG&E- and customer-funded emergency assistance program, to request increasing assistance cap amount for the next 12 months for impacted customers from $300 to $600.
If a customer’s home or business was destroyed in the October 2017 Northern California Wildfires, the account will be billed through October 7, 2017, the day before wildfires started.
For more information, please visit www.pge.com/wildfireresources and click on “Billing for Affected Customers.”
PG&E is continuing to work across the company to review policies and procedures to ensure it is supporting and providing relief to its customers who were impacted by the 2017 Northern California wildfires.
Customers can reach the company any time of day through PG&E’s customer service helpline at 1-800-743-5000.
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This is 17.1 percent less than the average pure premium rate of $2.34 California insurers filed as of July 1, 2017.
Commissioner Jones' decision results in an advisory pure premium rate that is slightly below the $1.96 average rate recommended by the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, or WCIRB, in its filing.
Jones issued the advisory pure premium rate three weeks after a public hearing and careful review of the testimony and evidence submitted. His adoption is only advisory, as the commissioner has no rate authority over workers' compensation insurers.
"The continued decreases in costs to insurers should be passed along to employers through lower rates," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "The WCIRB has once again recommended a reduction in the advisory pure premium rate, which will ultimately benefit California's business economy if insurers lower their pricing."
The WCIRB's pure premium advisory rate filing demonstrated continued decreases in costs in California's workers' compensation insurance market.
The pure premium advisory rate reduction is based on insurers' cost data through June 30 of this year. Insurers' net costs in the workers' compensation system continue to decline as a result of SB 863, SB 1160, and AB 1244 enacted by the Legislature and Gov. Brown.
The WCIRB notes continued favorable medical loss development including acceleration in claim settlement.
The WCIRB will evaluate workers' compensation insurance costs again in the summer and fall of next year when it files its pure premium rate benchmark recommendation with the Department of Insurance.
That filing will provide an opportunity to assess whether medical costs continue to be lower and what changes, if any, there are in other costs in the system.