In August, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) put forward a proposal to establish wireless service quality standards, recognizing that wireless service has become essential infrastructure for emergency communications, public safety, economic activity, and everyday connectivity. This rulemaking follows years of discussion regarding how to ensure wireless providers are comparatively accountable to other voice service providers as Californians increasingly rely on mobile networks. The CPUC Staff Proposal would create enforceable requirements governing outage restoration, network reliability and service transparency, as well as basic customer service standards. Minimum standards currently exist in CPUC General Order 133-E for wireline providers, such as plain old telephone service (POTS) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
In comments filed this month, RCRC supported the CPUC proposal and emphasized that statewide wireless performance averages often mask persistent service problems experienced in rural communities. RCRC specifically supports a requirement that carriers restore Cal OES community isolation outages within 24 hours; reporting network availability at a more localized level rather than through statewide averages or aggregate performance that often mask concentrated failures; establishing consistent customer service protections and customer remedies for wireless subscribers; and utilizing signal propagation maps that provide consumers with more accurate information about where service is actually usable.
Next, the Commission is expected to put forward a Proposed Decision and consider its adoption by the end of the year.
RCRC’s comments can be viewed here and here. Public comments are accepted on a continuous basis, see here. For questions or more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate Leigh Kammerich.