Telecommunications

What the CPUC regulates

The CPUC regulates communications services, particularly those elements of communications services within California (intrastate). Historically, this has focused on wireline communication, but it now includes wireless as well as service delivered over the internet. Increasingly, the CPUC also considers issues of high-speed internet access.

The CPUC oversees various programs affecting access to communications service, including the state LifeLine program, which provides financial support to low-income customers for voice service through either the wireline or wireless network. It also runs California Connect (formerly DDTP), a program that provides adaptive technology that assists customers in accessing the communications network. It oversees mergers among communications providers, and works to implement options for increasing access to high-speed internet in order to assist in closing the "digital divide" between those with adequate internet access and those without. Studies have shown that certain communities, including people with disabilities, are less likely to have high-speed internet access, and also that people with disabilities can be left out of advancements in communications technology or services due to accessibility barriers.