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Home » CONSUMER ISSUES » Utilities / Telecom
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Utilities / Telecom
CFC is a longtime advocate for affordable gas, electric, water and telephone services and a vigorous regulatory system that protects consumers. We regularly represent the rights of California consumers before the Public Utilities Commission – to protect our right to high quality utility services at reasonable rates.
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TracFone’s “get out of jail free” legislation
April 8th, 2013
TracFone is sponsoring a bill that would give public utility companies, individuals, and private corporations the ability to not be responsible for their actions, if they claim that CPUC staff advised them.
CFC supports bill creating oversight and transparency of CPUC giveaways
December 19th, 2012
Senator Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, was joined by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California, and representatives from The Utility Reform Network (TURN), at a press conference today to unveil legislation that would prohibit the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) from giving away millions of dollars in ratepayer money to third parties without oversight and transparency.
AT&T and Verizon's Deregulation Bill
Phone companies like AT&T and Verizon are supporting SB 1161 (Padilla) to undermine a government watchdog agency’s ability to investigate unfair advertising practices, inflated fees on phone bills, phone service outages, privacy violations and other consumer complaints.
CFC Supports AB 1197 - Public Utilities Whistleblower Protection
In light of the 2010 gas transmission pipeline explosion in San Bruno, the need for additional safety regulations is clear. Part of this effort to increase safety must include providing sufficient protections to whistleblowers who report safety concerns to the CPUC.
Consumer Federation of California Applauds ALJ Proposed Decision Denying Utilities’ Big Business Discount
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California
November 18th, 2008
The Consumer Federation of California (CFC) applauded the just issued proposed decision by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) denying a request by PG&E, Southern California Gas and San Diego Gas and Electric to shift $90 million onto the gas bills of California homeowners and residential users, in order to give big industrial gas customers a price break.
CFC sponsored telecom privacy bill killed in Assembly
by Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California
July 19th, 2008
AB 3011 would have closed a glaring loophole in California privacy law. Winning consumer protection is a multi-year effort, and we’ll keep moving this concept forward until the responsibility to protect cell phone records is placed where it belongs – with the telecommunications companies.
CFC letter protesting rent paying tenants having water shut off by landlords...
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California
March 20th, 2008
We have seen the toll that foreclosures take on families and individuals, and we shudder to think of the added humiliation that people who pay rent on time and are respectful of the properties where they live, must feel when their water is suddenly shut off.
California PUC Shortchanges Limited English Phone Consumers
by Richard Holober, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of California
August 1st, 2007
Regulations adopted last week by the California Public Utilities Commission fall short of protecting limited English speaking consumers from misleading advertising by telephone companies.
Telecomm Industry $$ Sink Cell Phone Consumer Protections
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California
June 8th, 2007
On June 7th, Senate Bill 831 (Lowenthal), our legislation to establish a sorely needed minimum standard of cell phone consumer protections - including cancellation rights and pro-rated early termination fees - was defeated in a close Senate floor vote.
CFC Sponsored Cell Phone Consumer Bill Moves Through Senate
by Zack Kaldveer, Consumer Federation of California
May 4th, 2007
On April 24th, cell phone users came one step closer to winning critical consumer protections after the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee approved Senate Bill 831 (D- Lowenthal).
Sacramento plans solar-powered 'smart' parking meters
by Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee
April 29th, 2013
Seven years after introducing parking kiosks downtown, Sacramento officials say it's time for an even more expansive upgrade of downtown parking, starting with solar-powered parking meters that drivers can pay via cellphone.
T-Mobile dropping cellphone contracts
by Associated Press, USA Today
March 25th, 2013
T-Mobile USA, the struggling No. 4 cellphone company, is ditching plans centered on familiar two-year contracts in favor of selling phones on installment plans.
FCC backs consumers in unlocking cellphones
by Edward Wyatt, New York Times
March 5th, 2013
For a decade consumers have been able to keep their cellphone numbers even if they switched their wireless carriers. The Obama administration and FCC said consumers should be able to switch carriers and keep their actual phones.
Crackdown on car cellphones
by Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee
December 27th, 2012
Nearly 3,000 drivers were caught breaking cellphone rules during a crackdown in Sacramento County and dozens of other police jurisdictions throughout Northern California.
Premature play against phone regulators
San Francisco Chronicle
September 27th, 2012
Gov. Brown has until Sunday to veto a bill that would eliminate regulatory oversight of Internet phone service in California - and could eliminate nearly all telephone regulation in the state. The sooner he says no, the better.
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