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<ns0:Id>20250AB__228999INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-19</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:MeasureType>AB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>2289</ns0:MeasureNum>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Boerner</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Boerner</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 216, 233, and 301 of, and to add Section 1700 to, the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>public utilities</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Public utilities: telecommunications.</ns0:Subject>
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<ns0:DigestText>
<html:p>The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission, which consists of 5 members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate. The California Constitution authorizes the commission to establish its own procedures and authorizes a commissioner as designated by the commission to hold a hearing or investigation or issue an order subject to commission approval.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require the Governor, in appointing members of the commission, to ensure a diverse composition of commissioners by considering factors that contribute to diversity, as provided. The bill would recodify as a statutory provision the commission’s authority to establish its own procedures and the authority of a commissioner to hold a hearing or investigation or issue an order subject to the commission approval. The bill would specify that the
recodification only becomes operative if ACA 9 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is approved by the voters, becomes operative, and repeals the corresponding provision in the California Constitution.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing law vests the commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities. Existing law defines “public utility” to include, among other entities, telephone corporations and telegraph corporations. Existing law defines “telephone line” to include all conduits, ducts, poles, wires, cables, instruments, and appliances, and all other real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate communication by telephone.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would specify that a corporation that is providing telecommunications service, as defined, is a public utility subject to the jurisdiction, control, and regulation of the commission and the Public Utilities Act regarding the provision of
that service. The bill would revise the definition of “telephone line” to restrict those items specified above to those in connection with or to facilitate voice communication by telephone.</html:p>
<html:p>Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.</html:p>
<html:p>Because this bill would expand the definition of “public utility,” thereby expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
<html:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>YES</ns0:LocalProgram>
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<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 216 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Utilities Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>216.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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(1)
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“Public utility” includes every common carrier, toll bridge corporation, pipeline corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewer system corporation, and heat corporation, where the service is performed for, or the commodity is delivered to, the public or any portion thereof.
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(2)
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A provider of last resort, as defined in Section 387, that is providing service pursuant to Article 8.5 (commencing with Section 387) of Chapter 2.3 is a public utility subject to the jurisdiction, control, and regulation of the commission and the provisions of this part regarding providing that service.
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<html:p>
(3)
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A corporation that is providing telecommunications service as defined in Section 2892.1 is a public utility subject to the jurisdiction, control, and regulation of the commission and the provisions of this part regarding providing that service.
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<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Whenever any common carrier, toll bridge corporation, pipeline corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewer system corporation, or heat corporation performs a service for, or delivers a commodity to, the public or a portion
of the public for which any compensation or payment whatsoever is received, that common carrier, toll bridge corporation, pipeline corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewer system corporation, or heat corporation, is a public utility subject to the jurisdiction, control, and regulation of the commission and the provisions of this part.
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<html:p>
(c)
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When any person or corporation performs any service for, or delivers any commodity to, any person, private corporation, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state, that in turn either directly or indirectly, mediately or immediately, performs that service for, or delivers that commodity to, the public or a
portion of the public, that person or corporation is a public utility subject to the jurisdiction, control, and regulation of the commission and the provisions of this part.
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<html:p>
(d)
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Ownership or operation of a facility that employs cogeneration technology or produces energy from other than a conventional power source or the ownership or operation of a facility that
employs landfill gas technology does not make a corporation or person a public utility within the meaning of this section solely because of the ownership or operation of that facility.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
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A corporation or person engaged directly or indirectly in developing, producing, transmitting, distributing, delivering, or selling any form of heat derived from geothermal or solar resources or from cogeneration technology to any privately owned or publicly owned public utility, or to the public or a portion
of the public, is not a public utility within the meaning of this section solely by reason of engaging in any of those activities.
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<html:p>
(f)
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The ownership or operation of a facility that sells compressed natural gas or hydrogen at retail to the public for use only as a motor vehicle fuel, and the selling of compressed natural gas or hydrogen at retail from that facility to the public for use only as a motor vehicle fuel, does not make the corporation or person a public utility within the meaning of this section solely because of that ownership, operation, or sale.
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<html:p>
(g)
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Ownership or operation of a facility that is an exempt wholesale generator, as defined in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 16451(6)), does not make a corporation or person a public utility within the meaning of this section, solely due to the ownership or
operation of that facility.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(h)
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The ownership, control, operation, or management of an electric plant used for direct transactions or participation directly or indirectly in direct transactions, as permitted by subdivision (b) of Section 365, sales into a market established and operated by the Independent System Operator or any other wholesale electricity market, or the use or sale as permitted under subdivisions (b) to (d), inclusive, of Section 218, shall not make a corporation or person a public utility within the meaning of this section solely because of that ownership, participation, or sale.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(i)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The ownership, control, operation, or management of a facility that supplies electricity to the public only for use to charge light duty plug-in electric vehicles does not make the corporation or person a public utility within the meaning of this section solely because of that
ownership, control, operation, or management. For purposes of this subdivision, “light duty plug-in electric vehicles” includes light duty battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This subdivision does not affect the commission’s authority under Section 454 or 740.2 or any other applicable statute.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 233 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Utilities Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>233.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>“Telephone line” includes all conduits, ducts, poles, wires, cables, instruments, and appliances, and all other real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate voice communication by telephone, whether the communication is had with or without the use of transmission wires.</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Section 301 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Utilities Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>301.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The membership of the Public Utilities Commission, and the qualifications and tenure of the members of the commission are as provided in Section 1 of Article XII of the Constitution of this state.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In appointing members of the Public Utilities Commission, the Governor shall ensure a diverse composition of commissioners by considering factors that contribute to diversity, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Geographic diversity, including rural and urban residents.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Gender.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Professional experience in energy, telecommunications, and transportation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Community and labor activism.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 4.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1700 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Public Utilities Code</ns0:DocName>
,
<ns0:Positioning>immediately preceding Section 1701</ns0:Positioning>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_E49882BF-32F2-46EE-8F14-D70230D07948">
<ns0:Num>1700.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Subject to statute and due process, the commission may establish its own procedures. A commissioner as designated by the commission may hold a hearing or investigation or issue an order subject to commission approval.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
This section shall only become operative if Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is approved by the voters, becomes operative, and repeals Section 2 of Article XII of the California Constitution.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 5.</ns0:Num>
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No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
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B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
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B of the California Constitution.
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