WEBVTT 00:00:00.009 --> 00:00:02.990 Brought to you by adminmonitor.com. We'll begin 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:17.449 momentarily. Thank you for your patience. 00:00:17.449 --> 00:00:20.609 Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:26.309 uh Participation Hearing on the CPUC's Order Instituting 00:00:26.318 --> 00:00:29.149 Rulemaking Proceeding. To consider amendments to the 00:00:29.158 --> 00:00:35.020 General Order 133D on this day Tuesday, April 18, 00:00:35.029 --> 00:00:42.189 2023. Judge, uh you may begin sir. 00:00:42.189 --> 00:00:45.880 Thank you very much. And could our court reporter just 00:00:45.889 --> 00:00:50.750 confirm that you're hearing me now? 00:00:50.750 --> 00:00:57.048 Yes, Judge thank you. Okay, fantastic. 00:00:57.048 --> 00:01:00.250 Very well then. We will go on the record. The Commission 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:03.880 will come to order. Good evening, everyone. This is 00:01:03.889 --> 00:01:09.138 the time and place set for a Public Participation Hearing 00:01:09.769 --> 00:01:14.198 on the California Public Utilities Commission's Telecommunications 00:01:14.209 --> 00:01:18.778 Service Quality Proceeding. This is Rulemaking 22 00:01:18.790 --> 00:01:25.969 -03-016. I'm Thomas Glegola, the assigned Administrative 00:01:25.980 --> 00:01:30.379 Law Judge for this proceeding. We are also joined by 00:01:30.388 --> 00:01:33.959 the Honorable Darcie Houck, who is the assigned Commissioner 00:01:33.969 --> 00:01:37.638 for this proceeding. To those listening on the phone 00:01:37.650 --> 00:01:41.909 that wish to speak. Please press *1 on your phone 00:01:41.918 --> 00:01:45.510 to be placed in line. After pressing *1, you will 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.638 be prompted for your name. Please also add, if you 00:01:48.650 --> 00:01:51.730 are an elected official. 00:01:51.730 --> 00:01:55.180 You may decide at any time before we end this forum 00:01:55.189 --> 00:01:59.379 to speak, simply by pressing *1. 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:03.569 The purpose of today's Hearing is to hear directly 00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:07.569 from the public about their phone service. This includes 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:11.490 what many refer to as plain old telephone service, 00:02:11.569 --> 00:02:16.729 also called POTS. As well as newer phone service delivered 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.969 using voice over the internet protocol, also called 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:23.139 VoIP. 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:25.649 Additionally, we're looking at cell phone service. 00:02:25.990 --> 00:02:29.429 We especially want to hear about service outages that 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:33.330 you've encountered. As well as any lengthy service delays 00:02:33.338 --> 00:02:36.710 when you submit customer service tickets to your phone 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:40.750 provider. If you have a billing question, please go 00:02:40.758 --> 00:02:46.270 to the following website. www.cpuc 00:02:46.278 --> 00:02:52.419 .ca.gov/pph You will find 00:02:52.429 --> 00:02:55.288 more information there on this proceeding. Including 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:58.679 phone numbers to reach the customer service representative 00:02:58.689 --> 00:03:02.179 for your company at this time. 00:03:02.179 --> 00:03:04.689 The Public Utilities Commission currently regulates 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:08.899 service quality standards for plain old telephone service. 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:12.879 These standards are contained in General Order 133, 00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:16.469 which you can find on the Commission's website. Due 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:20.538 to changes in our jurisdiction as well as a petition 00:03:20.618 --> 00:03:23.969 from the Commission's Public Advocates Office. The 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:27.538 Commission is reviewing the service quality standards 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:31.258 for plain old telephone service and also is considering 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:35.550 adopting new rules for other phone services. In Phase 00:03:35.558 --> 00:03:38.379 2 of this proceeding, the Commission will consider 00:03:38.389 --> 00:03:42.219 service quality for internet service. More information 00:03:42.229 --> 00:03:46.240 is available on the Commission's website at that website 00:03:46.250 --> 00:03:53.629 that I gave before: www.cpuc.ca.gov 00:03:54.210 --> 00:03:57.508 /pph 00:03:57.508 --> 00:03:59.508 This will include summaries of the positions of the 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.229 telecommunications service providers in California. 00:04:02.429 --> 00:04:05.629 As well as other organizations representing consumers 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:09.349 that are participating in this Hearing. 00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:11.699 The Public Utilities Commission has 5 Commissioners 00:04:11.710 --> 00:04:14.599 who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by 00:04:14.610 --> 00:04:18.899 the State Senate, including Commissioner Houck. My responsibility 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:21.920 is to manage the day-to-day activities of the case. 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:25.238 And to help Commissioner Houck evaluate all of the evidence 00:04:25.250 --> 00:04:28.399 in the proceeding, including your input. Commissioner 00:04:28.410 --> 00:04:31.290 Houck will issue a proposed decision for the other commissioners 00:04:31.298 --> 00:04:34.730 to consider. The 5 Commissioners are ultimately 00:04:34.738 --> 00:04:38.319 the ones who will decide, and vote on whether or not 00:04:38.329 --> 00:04:42.639 to approve any proposed changes to existing rules. Or 00:04:42.649 --> 00:04:47.088 to adopt new rules. Each piece of information on which 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:49.730 we base our decision listed and available for you to 00:04:49.738 --> 00:04:52.939 review on the Commission web page ,we call the docket card. 00:04:53.819 --> 00:04:56.889 Your comments today will also be listed and published 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:00.730 on the docket card. Because our court reporters are transcribing 00:05:00.738 --> 00:05:03.670 today's Hearing. Taking down everything that is said 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:07.048 I thank you so much for spending your time today to 00:05:07.059 --> 00:05:10.730 share your experiences as customers, your perspectives 00:05:10.738 --> 00:05:13.470 or perhaps just to listen. The Commissioner and I will 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:16.649 be paying close attention to what you say. We've received 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:19.579 significant public interest in this proceeding, which 00:05:19.588 --> 00:05:23.040 likely means you will have to wait for speaking. So 00:05:23.048 --> 00:05:26.559 I also want to thank you for your patience. Today is 00:05:26.569 --> 00:05:30.170 not your only opportunity to tell us how this proceeding 00:05:30.178 --> 00:05:34.869 will impact you. Throughout the proceeding, we accept 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:38.250 written public comments through a form on our website. 00:05:39.379 --> 00:05:43.329 The public comments section of the docket card. To access 00:05:43.338 --> 00:05:46.819 the docket card, go to the Commission's website: 00:05:46.829 --> 00:05:53.069 www.cpuc.ca.gov/ 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:59.199 pph As of today, we have received almost 2,800 written 00:05:59.209 --> 00:06:03.040 public comments. This form is being conducted remotely, 00:06:03.048 --> 00:06:06.720 because we have found remote Hearings to be a very 00:06:06.730 --> 00:06:10.139 convenient and effective way for us to engage with 00:06:10.149 --> 00:06:13.119 members of the public. Especially on issues like this, 00:06:13.129 --> 00:06:16.838 that affect all parts of the State. Again, we are so 00:06:16.850 --> 00:06:20.309 appreciative that you have joined us today. And now, 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:22.588 we will hear from Commissioner Houck. Commissioner Houck, the 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:25.790 floor is yours. 00:06:25.790 --> 00:06:29.798 Thank you, Judge Glegola. Um, good evening everyone. Um again, 00:06:29.809 --> 00:06:33.170 my name is Darcie Houck. I'm the assigned Commissioner for, um this 00:06:33.178 --> 00:06:36.540 proceeding. Um, that's examining our service quality 00:06:37.259 --> 00:06:41.238 requirements. I'd like to thank Judge Glegola, our Public 00:06:41.250 --> 00:06:44.278 Advisors and our Public Advisers Office for hosting 00:06:44.290 --> 00:06:48.730 tonight's event. Especially Joyce Song, Alice Brown and 00:06:48.738 --> 00:06:53.738 Anne Kim, Mona Dzvova and Claudia Sanchez. I also want to 00:06:53.750 --> 00:06:57.350 thank our court reporters that are here transcribing 00:06:57.358 --> 00:07:01.298 your comments this evening. Jason Stacy, Carly Powers 00:07:01.309 --> 00:07:05.009 and Rebecca de Rosa. And our IT Staff, Robert Stanford 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:08.738 and Joseph Haga. We couldn't have these meetings without 00:07:08.750 --> 00:07:12.278 the work that they do. Um so again, I want to thank everyone 00:07:12.290 --> 00:07:15.420 for taking time out of your day. To provide your comments 00:07:15.428 --> 00:07:18.509 on the important issues in front of us. I appreciate 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:21.149 the opportunity to hear from you, the public. Before 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:23.980 we make any decisions in Phase 1 of this proceeding. 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:27.059 The proceeding, um as the Judge described is going to 00:07:27.069 --> 00:07:30.459 evaluate our service quality standards. Set out in General 00:07:30.470 --> 00:07:34.639 Order 133D, and it will set new service quality standards. 00:07:34.649 --> 00:07:37.720 For communications providers as appropriate including 00:07:37.730 --> 00:07:41.298 examining wireless and voice services. In Phase 2 00:07:41.309 --> 00:07:43.670 of the proceeding, we will consider service quality 00:07:43.678 --> 00:07:47.778 standards for internet service. We received a tremendous 00:07:47.790 --> 00:07:50.670 amount of public feedback in this proceeding to date. 00:07:50.678 --> 00:07:55.278 We've received at least 2,789 written comments in our 00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:59.899 docket, and we've heard from over 250 people that have 00:07:59.910 --> 00:08:03.059 provided public comment during the Public Participation 00:08:03.069 --> 00:08:05.689 Hearings. Such as the one that you're participating 00:08:05.699 --> 00:08:09.660 in this evening. Given the conditions of modern life 00:08:09.670 --> 00:08:12.209 especially coming out of the pandemic. It's critically 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:15.399 important that customers receive reliable telecommunication 00:08:15.410 --> 00:08:18.379 service. Which includes plain telephone service or what's 00:08:18.389 --> 00:08:22.980 referred to as POTS, wireless, voice and broadband. Communication 00:08:22.988 --> 00:08:25.470 services are essential services. As more and more. 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:28.259 Californians are relying on these technologies for 00:08:28.269 --> 00:08:31.850 work, school, medical services. To stay connected to one 00:08:31.858 --> 00:08:35.719 another and um, to contact emergency services providers. 00:08:36.529 --> 00:08:39.239 Again, the purpose of tonight's Hearing is to hear 00:08:39.250 --> 00:08:41.849 from you about the quality of service that you're receiving 00:08:41.859 --> 00:08:44.519 from your providers. And as the Judge indicated, we're 00:08:44.529 --> 00:08:47.840 particularly concerned about um, outages and the length 00:08:47.849 --> 00:08:51.558 of outages. Um and with that, I want to end my comments 00:08:51.570 --> 00:08:53.960 to ensure that we have as much time as possible to 00:08:53.969 --> 00:08:57.399 hear from all of you. And we'll turn it back over to 00:08:57.408 --> 00:09:01.450 Judge Glegola. 00:09:01.450 --> 00:09:04.979 Thank you, Commissioner. We now will turn to the public. 00:09:04.989 --> 00:09:08.489 If you want to speak and have not already done so. 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:13.129 Please press *1 on your phone now, and the operator 00:09:13.139 --> 00:09:17.210 will add you to the queue of speakers. You may decide 00:09:17.219 --> 00:09:21.190 at any time before we end this form to speak. Simply 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:25.340 by pressing *1. And if you do speak, please remember 00:09:25.349 --> 00:09:28.729 to speak slowly and clearly. So that our court reporter 00:09:28.739 --> 00:09:32.418 is able to capture everything you say. We ask that 00:09:32.428 --> 00:09:35.460 you state and spell your name, and if you would like 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:39.379 the city you are calling from. To help ensure we hear 00:09:39.389 --> 00:09:42.509 from everyone. Each speaker will have a time limit 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:47.349 of 1 minute a time for. Excuse me. A chime will sound 00:09:47.359 --> 00:09:51.210 when you have 15 seconds left, so please wrap up shortly 00:09:51.219 --> 00:09:55.219 after that. I sincerely apologize for this abrupt deadline, 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:57.729 I hope you understand. The reason is to hear from as 00:09:57.739 --> 00:10:01.369 many people as possible. Also, if you are disconnected 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:04.729 from your call before I am able to thank you. Please 00:10:04.739 --> 00:10:07.500 know just how much I and Commissioner Houck appreciate 00:10:07.509 --> 00:10:10.619 you taking the time today. To share your experiences 00:10:10.629 --> 00:10:14.678 and telecommunications customers with us. Again, we 00:10:14.690 --> 00:10:17.000 will be able to hear you best, if you speak slowly and 00:10:17.009 --> 00:10:20.428 clearly. And speak directly into your phone or headset 00:10:20.700 --> 00:10:24.759 is also best to use, uh to not use your speakerphone. 00:10:25.369 --> 00:10:29.690 Also, if you are listening to this Hearing using our 00:10:29.700 --> 00:10:34.469 live video feed. Please remember to mute the speakers 00:10:34.479 --> 00:10:38.489 for that feed, when you are speaking on the phone. With 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:41.129 that, could our operator please proceed to the first 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:43.940 speaker in the queue? 00:10:43.940 --> 00:10:47.908 Thank you, sir. Our first speaker comes from Alberto. 00:10:48.849 --> 00:10:52.489 Your line is open. 00:10:52.489 --> 00:10:54.928 Hello? 00:10:54.928 --> 00:10:58.259 Hello. Hello? Hello. Yeah, um my name is Alberto Amasqua. 00:10:58.788 --> 00:11:02.149 I live in Watsonville, California. And I'm calling because 00:11:02.158 --> 00:11:05.599 for the past decade I've been having a terrible phone 00:11:05.609 --> 00:11:10.119 call, phone service quality. Um, it's unfortunate, because 00:11:10.129 --> 00:11:13.408 10 miles up in Santa Cruz. They have 5G Ultra 00:11:13.418 --> 00:11:16.460 wideband. To my, to the South of where I live in 00:11:16.469 --> 00:11:19.500 Salinas. They have 5G Ultra wideband. It's like 00:11:19.509 --> 00:11:22.678 why doesn't my town have good stuff or quality service? 00:11:23.178 --> 00:11:26.080 I have a Verizon store that's less than a mile away 00:11:26.090 --> 00:11:31.090 where I live. And at times I can't even get a connection. 00:11:31.099 --> 00:11:34.129 Like it doesn't matter, like if I have on the top corner 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:37.989 my phone says 5G. It has a couple of bars like 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:41.678 my signal is obsolete. And like God forbid, like I'm 00:11:41.690 --> 00:11:44.538 in a situation where I have Wi-Fi. And I need to look 00:11:44.548 --> 00:11:47.168 something up like yeah, it's just unacceptable. How 00:11:47.178 --> 00:11:50.509 stores implement, are implemented in towns knowing they 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:52.798 have bad connection. And they have no incentive to 00:11:52.808 --> 00:11:57.298 improve. So yeah, that's all I'd like to say. 00:11:57.298 --> 00:12:01.288 Thank you so much for calling in to share. Our uh, 00:12:01.418 --> 00:12:05.320 we have our next commentary. 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:08.210 Our next comments comes from uh, Daniel's Shoemaker. 00:12:08.219 --> 00:12:11.070 Your line is open. 00:12:11.070 --> 00:12:13.399 Good evening. My name is Daniel Schumacher. I'm a resident 00:12:13.408 --> 00:12:16.960 of Los Angeles County. I'm just calling in, in regards 00:12:16.969 --> 00:12:20.580 to the POTS program and the fact that broadband seems 00:12:20.590 --> 00:12:23.779 to be the better way to go with all of this. Because 00:12:23.788 --> 00:12:27.418 with things advancing, especially with the pandemic 00:12:27.428 --> 00:12:30.428 as a great example. The older technology just won't 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:32.830 be able to support the bandwidth that we need in order. 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:35.928 To talk to our doctors, in order to go to school and 00:12:35.940 --> 00:12:39.168 do the things that a lot of us have found that we 00:12:39.178 --> 00:12:43.250 can do now through the pandemic. Um, so I'm not entirely 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:46.908 sure why the Commission is focusing on old, outdated 00:12:46.918 --> 00:12:49.519 technology. When we should be focusing on things to 00:12:49.529 --> 00:12:54.359 help close that digital divide. Between what we currently 00:12:54.369 --> 00:12:57.229 have and where we are moving to in the future. 00:12:58.808 --> 00:13:03.769 Thank you. Thank you for that feedback. We have our 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:14.739 next commenter, please. 00:13:14.739 --> 00:13:19.158 Name. 00:13:19.158 --> 00:13:26.029 Mhm. We need a name. 00:13:26.029 --> 00:13:29.168 Our next comment comes from Martha Perry Wilson. Your 00:13:29.178 --> 00:13:34.250 line is open. Yes, thank you. My name is Marsha Rosen, 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:39.359 R. O. S. E. N. I have nothing but a landline to communicate 00:13:39.369 --> 00:13:42.798 outside the house. I'm hyper sensitive. I don't have 00:13:42.808 --> 00:13:47.288 a computer and I don't have a cell phone, never have. 00:13:47.298 --> 00:13:51.450 I don't have another way to get to emergency services. 00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:55.908 When my phone was out for 37 days. It took 5 calls 00:13:55.918 --> 00:13:58.864 or longer to get someone to come out. And I had to 00:13:58.875 --> 00:14:02.125 wait a long time. When I try to get to customer service 00:14:02.134 --> 00:14:05.274 they don't answer for a long, long time. And I only 00:14:05.283 --> 00:14:09.724 have a landline to listen to. The hyper electric, 00:14:09.734 --> 00:14:14.024 electricity causes me illness. So I need to keep my 00:14:14.033 --> 00:14:16.875 landline. My landline is very important to me. The 00:14:16.884 --> 00:14:20.244 lines that service them and the way that they are connected 00:14:20.254 --> 00:14:23.879 is very important to continue for people like me. I 00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:27.048 thank you for this time for the Judge, the Commissioner 00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:31.080 of the Advisory Council and the. 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:36.529 I appreciate, I appreciate Frontier and I thank you 00:14:36.538 --> 00:14:39.859 for finally getting service back. I live alone and 00:14:39.869 --> 00:14:42.710 I need a landline. Please don't take our landlines 00:14:42.719 --> 00:14:47.200 away. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much for 00:14:47.210 --> 00:14:49.879 calling in. Can we have our next commenter, please? 00:14:51.489 --> 00:14:55.940 Our next comment comes from Glenn Dozin. The line's 00:14:55.950 --> 00:14:59.000 open. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:04.960 Hi, my name is Gwen Dilston and I live in Concord. And I 00:15:04.969 --> 00:15:08.558 have AT&T, I've lived here for 12 years. And the signal 00:15:08.570 --> 00:15:12.149 has never been good at my house or throughout my neighborhood. 00:15:12.609 --> 00:15:16.979 And so I have to use uh, calling through Wi-Fi. And when 00:15:16.989 --> 00:15:20.469 the power went out in the first big windstorm this 00:15:20.479 --> 00:15:23.269 year. Of course, there wasn't Wi-Fi. I couldn't make 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.570 any calls and in fact, I couldn't even text. I was 00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:29.080 completely cut off from the world. So it makes me wonder 00:15:29.090 --> 00:15:32.029 what will happen if there's a major disaster, like an 00:15:32.038 --> 00:15:35.279 earthquake? Will we all be cut off? You know, why 00:15:36.090 --> 00:15:39.168 why can't the cell phone towers work? Especially given 00:15:39.178 --> 00:15:42.058 the amount of money that we pay for a cell phone service. 00:15:42.070 --> 00:15:44.529 So I definitely think you need to tighten the rules 00:15:44.538 --> 00:15:48.859 for quality services. Thank you. 00:15:48.859 --> 00:15:51.580 Thank you so much for calling in to share. Can we have 00:15:51.590 --> 00:15:55.269 our next commenter, please. Our next comment comes 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:59.259 from Regina Johnson. Your line is open. 00:15:59.259 --> 00:16:03.408 Yes, my name is Regina Johnson. I live in the San Bernardino 00:16:03.418 --> 00:16:07.668 area. I too have AT&T, and I get really spotty 00:16:07.678 --> 00:16:10.960 service with AT&T. It drops a lot of calls. But 00:16:10.969 --> 00:16:14.979 my main concern is, is how are the, how are the cell 00:16:14.989 --> 00:16:18.389 phone companies able to continue to charge you for 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:21.590 a person that has deceased. And will not allow you 00:16:21.599 --> 00:16:32.950 to drop that phone off of your bill? 00:16:32.950 --> 00:16:36.029 Are you still with us, ma'am? Yes, I'm still here. 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:40.129 Could I just make a suggestion before we continue on? 00:16:40.408 --> 00:16:45.788 So if you go to our website um, again it's 00:16:45.798 --> 00:16:51.200 www.cpuc.ca.gov/ 00:16:51.210 --> 00:16:57.129 pph Um you, your phone provider should have someone 00:16:57.538 --> 00:17:02.899 um, available to discuss this with you right now. So 00:17:02.908 --> 00:17:04.759 I would, I would suggest you doing that. Because they 00:17:04.769 --> 00:17:07.598 can. They should be able to, to help you with this 00:17:07.608 --> 00:17:10.989 uh billing issue. You may say that one more time. It 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:13.608 was cc. I have the ca.gov part, the 00:17:13.618 --> 00:17:18.799 first part. Oh, so www.cpuc 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:25.557 .ca.gov/pph And 00:17:25.567 --> 00:17:28.597 if you, you'll find a spreadsheet there. That should 00:17:28.608 --> 00:17:34.088 have those numbers. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you so 00:17:34.098 --> 00:17:36.939 much for calling in. Can we have our next commenter, 00:17:36.949 --> 00:17:38.989 please? 00:17:38.989 --> 00:17:42.140 Our next comment comes from Jill, your line is open. 00:17:43.439 --> 00:17:48.479 Hi. Um, thank you for taking my call. I live in Fraser 00:17:48.489 --> 00:17:54.568 Park, California rural area. Um, nearly 50 miles from 00:17:54.578 --> 00:17:59.578 any major city. I live within a quarter mile of a cell 00:17:59.588 --> 00:18:05.009 phone tower. And um, all of my services through AT&T. 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:11.170 Uh my cell phone, my internet and my landline are 00:18:11.180 --> 00:18:16.588 all shoddy at best, as far as service. I'm currently 00:18:16.598 --> 00:18:24.189 33 days out of internet service and my supposed unlimited 00:18:24.598 --> 00:18:30.739 uh, data usage on my cell phone exceeds. And they throttle 00:18:30.750 --> 00:18:36.029 me down to where I have no access to any of my 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:42.150 banking, any of my phone lines, anything. And um, they 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:45.588 are, they are not in a rush to rectify any of the 00:18:45.598 --> 00:18:50.219 situations we've been dealing with for years. 00:18:50.219 --> 00:18:52.979 Thank you. 00:18:52.979 --> 00:18:55.209 Thank you for calling in to share. Can we have our 00:18:55.219 --> 00:18:58.380 next commenter, please? 00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:02.189 Yes. Our next comment comes from Pavel, your line is open. 00:19:04.328 --> 00:19:09.259 Hello, my name is Pavel. I'm an undergraduate at 00:19:09.269 --> 00:19:13.318 UCLA. And the things I have to say about wireless 00:19:13.328 --> 00:19:16.598 service is that it played an important role. And I believe 00:19:16.608 --> 00:19:20.318 it will continue to play a vital role for remote and 00:19:20.328 --> 00:19:23.920 distance learning. It was very helpful during the pandemic, 00:19:23.930 --> 00:19:26.699 but also helpful for students like myself with more 00:19:26.709 --> 00:19:30.189 real time info. Allowed us to communicate with each 00:19:30.199 --> 00:19:34.219 other in study groups, access for information for research, 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:40.170 and data gathering. And it helped us relay info. Thank you. 00:19:40.170 --> 00:19:42.630 Thank you so much for calling in. Can we have our next 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:45.500 commenter, please? 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:48.368 Yes, our next comment comes from Alexander Friedman. 00:19:48.380 --> 00:19:51.049 Your line is open. 00:19:51.049 --> 00:19:53.858 Yes. Hi, good afternoon. I'm Alexander Friedman. Uh, two 00:19:53.868 --> 00:19:57.068 things. One is AT&T landline and the internet service. 00:19:57.078 --> 00:20:00.348 I live in Hollywood, California. Every time it rains 00:20:00.358 --> 00:20:03.328 we lose service both the landline and the internet. 00:20:03.338 --> 00:20:06.078 This is ridiculous, it's the 21st century. And we should 00:20:06.088 --> 00:20:09.943 not keep losing service in the Hollywood area and numerous 00:20:09.953 --> 00:20:12.493 buildings lose service every time it rains. This should 00:20:12.505 --> 00:20:16.453 be fixed. Number two, Verizon Prepaid cell phone service. 00:20:16.463 --> 00:20:19.914 The internet speeds have gotten ridiculously slow. 00:20:19.924 --> 00:20:23.654 Only 2 megabits per second down from 25 to 35 megabits 00:20:23.664 --> 00:20:26.969 per second. I spoke with the Executive Officer. They 00:20:26.979 --> 00:20:29.489 said that it's on purpose because it's prepaid as opposed 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:32.088 to post paid. So, can you please make sure that they 00:20:32.098 --> 00:20:35.189 increase the internet speeds? It should be definitely 00:20:35.199 --> 00:20:38.380 faster than just 2 megabits per second. It's impossible 00:20:38.390 --> 00:20:41.920 to use a smartphone with Verizon Prepaid. Thank you. 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:46.969 Thank you so much for calling in. Can we have our next 00:20:46.979 --> 00:20:51.410 caller, please? Our next scholar is Foster Harp. Your 00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:54.559 line is open. 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:57.838 Hi, this is Foster Harp and I'm just calling in today, 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:01.400 um because wireless services for me have played a big 00:21:01.410 --> 00:21:04.279 role. And will continue to play a big role for remote 00:21:04.289 --> 00:21:07.328 and distance learning. Especially during the pandemic 00:21:07.818 --> 00:21:09.769 because they was able to give students and teachers 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:13.209 more information in real time. And it also allows us 00:21:13.219 --> 00:21:16.140 to communicate with each other in study groups, access 00:21:16.150 --> 00:21:19.400 important information for researching as well as data 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:23.828 gathering and helping us relay info. Thank you. 00:21:23.828 --> 00:21:26.578 Thank you so much for calling in. Can have our next 00:21:26.588 --> 00:21:29.979 commenter, please. 00:21:29.979 --> 00:21:32.750 Our next comment comes from uh, Clarence. Your line 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:37.880 is open. Hello. My name is Clarence Pear, I live in North 00:21:37.890 --> 00:21:42.279 Hills area of Brea, California. Myself and all my neighbors, 00:21:42.289 --> 00:21:45.180 are a lot of my neighbors are on Verizon. And we get 00:21:45.189 --> 00:21:48.318 dropped calls continuously, very difficult to make 00:21:48.328 --> 00:21:51.529 a call out or in. And especially if you're running 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:56.358 a business from home. Also, the alarm systems used 00:21:56.368 --> 00:22:00.410 to run on the landline and they were stopped running 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:03.309 on the landline. Because we had to get the new digital 00:22:03.318 --> 00:22:08.318 system in, and we put in cellular radios. But the Verizon 00:22:08.328 --> 00:22:12.739 signal drops and my alarm will not communicate when 00:22:12.750 --> 00:22:16.858 I have alarm. I constantly have a fail to communicate 00:22:16.910 --> 00:22:23.939 signal on my panel. So we need to solve the drop calls 00:22:23.949 --> 00:22:28.539 from Verizon and I need to get the alarm systems working 00:22:28.549 --> 00:22:31.640 in this area. Because they cannot communicate to the 00:22:31.650 --> 00:22:35.699 central station. Thank you. 00:22:35.699 --> 00:22:38.140 Thank you so much for calling in. Can have our next 00:22:38.150 --> 00:22:43.029 commenter, please. Our next comment comes from and 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:46.500 I apologize for the name. I believe it's um Ms. Aguilar. 00:22:46.750 --> 00:22:50.118 Your line is open. 00:22:50.118 --> 00:22:56.029 Hi, can you hear me? Yes, please continue. Um, so my name is, my name 00:22:56.039 --> 00:23:00.709 is Yesenia Aguilar. And I am a resident in Los Angeles County and 00:23:00.719 --> 00:23:03.269 I'm a millennial with elderly parents. And I wonder 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:07.279 why the Commission keeps focusing on old landline technology? 00:23:07.699 --> 00:23:10.670 The pandemic opened our eyes to the importance of broadband 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:14.828 for education, health and workforce. Um, broadband made 00:23:14.838 --> 00:23:17.469 it possible for my parents to receive essential health 00:23:17.479 --> 00:23:21.568 care services virtually. I understand that newer technology 00:23:21.578 --> 00:23:25.019 can be challenging for seniors. However, we must continue 00:23:25.029 --> 00:23:29.328 progressing, and involving technology and ensure everyone 00:23:29.338 --> 00:23:32.150 has the broadband access. I urge the Commission to 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:34.809 continue to focus on closing the digital divide and 00:23:34.818 --> 00:23:38.420 connecting all Californians to broadband. Thank you. 00:23:40.318 --> 00:23:42.459 Thank you so much for calling in. Can we have our next 00:23:42.469 --> 00:23:46.118 commenter, please? Our next comment comes from Matt 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:51.689 Knowles. Your line is open. 00:23:51.689 --> 00:23:56.459 Thank you. We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And 00:23:56.469 --> 00:24:00.489 since the storm started January 1st, our landline 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:04.118 has been out. There's been no dial tone. I've reported 00:24:04.130 --> 00:24:08.578 that multiple times and uh Frontier has continually 00:24:08.588 --> 00:24:13.229 done nothing about it. The additional problem is they 00:24:13.239 --> 00:24:15.430 don't provide backup power for when the power goes 00:24:15.439 --> 00:24:18.739 out. And we regularly lose power for 4 or 5 days 00:24:18.750 --> 00:24:23.519 at a time. There should be uh, backup power provided. They 00:24:23.529 --> 00:24:25.598 should have a generator and their excuse is that it 00:24:25.608 --> 00:24:28.279 keeps getting stolen. I'm sure that they could figure 00:24:28.289 --> 00:24:33.430 out a way to prevent that problem. Thank you. 00:24:33.430 --> 00:24:35.680 Thank you for calling in. Can we have our next commenter 00:24:35.689 --> 00:24:51.479 please? 00:24:51.479 --> 00:24:55.449 Our next comment comes from Dan Sayner. Your line is open. 00:24:56.509 --> 00:24:59.539 Good evening, my name is Dan Sayner. I'm in Williams, 00:24:59.549 --> 00:25:02.239 California. I live about 5 miles outside of town. 00:25:02.390 --> 00:25:05.608 I have Frontier Communication for both my landline 00:25:05.838 --> 00:25:08.500 and my internet since the first of the year. Granted 00:25:08.509 --> 00:25:12.239 we've had storms, but I have had little to no service. 00:25:12.348 --> 00:25:15.848 I had a complete outage February 6-February 00:25:15.858 --> 00:25:20.229 28. It promptly went out again March 14 through, 00:25:20.239 --> 00:25:23.559 I just got it turned back on yesterday, April 17. 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:26.588 And they said the cause of that one there was a board 00:25:26.598 --> 00:25:29.818 down the road from me. In the box that had been blown 00:25:29.828 --> 00:25:33.650 up because a frog got in. And like a previous commenter, 00:25:33.848 --> 00:25:37.868 anytime it rains, my service goes out. And it might 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:40.969 after it dries out a bit, it comes back on with a 00:25:40.979 --> 00:25:45.269 lot of static. Where the callers can't hear one another. 00:25:45.368 --> 00:25:50.759 So again, it was Frontier and service is once they 00:25:50.769 --> 00:25:53.189 get here, they're very nice. Our technicians are great. 00:25:53.430 --> 00:25:56.029 But as far as communicating with them on the phone 00:25:56.039 --> 00:26:00.568 it is horrible. Thank you. 00:26:00.568 --> 00:26:02.969 Thank you so much for calling in to share. Could we 00:26:02.979 --> 00:26:09.209 have our next caller, please? Our next caller is Charles, 00:26:09.219 --> 00:26:13.559 your line is open. Yes. Thank you for taking my call. 00:26:13.568 --> 00:26:16.799 I'm hearing a lot of complaints and I think it's basically 00:26:16.809 --> 00:26:20.719 we're back down to, we're at Enron. Everyone's information 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:24.019 that we're trying to get, our phone is basically a 00:26:24.029 --> 00:26:27.588 commodity. They don't have a responsibility. They want 00:26:27.598 --> 00:26:30.709 the money, they lease out towers from each other. I've 00:26:30.719 --> 00:26:34.900 had Verizon for 15 years and the first 2 years we 00:26:34.910 --> 00:26:38.259 had great service because they bid high on the local 00:26:38.269 --> 00:26:43.630 tower. And when AT&T bump them on their bid, then 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:47.640 our service has been absolute spotty. So this needs 00:26:47.650 --> 00:26:50.209 to stop being a commodity. It needs to be a service 00:26:50.219 --> 00:26:54.088 for our community. Thank you. 00:26:54.088 --> 00:26:56.229 Thank you so much for calling in. Can we have your 00:26:56.239 --> 00:26:58.868 next caller, please? 00:26:58.868 --> 00:27:01.969 Our next call comes from Stuart Goodman. Your line 00:27:01.979 --> 00:27:08.000 is open. Thank you for taking my call. I am an Optometrist. 00:27:08.009 --> 00:27:14.000 We were forced out of POTS service because the price 00:27:14.009 --> 00:27:18.420 kept on skyrocketing. We had a, we had a contract, 00:27:18.505 --> 00:27:21.654 disobeyed the contract. They started raising us like 00:27:21.664 --> 00:27:26.295 $100 every, every three months. So we had to go to 00:27:26.305 --> 00:27:30.265 VoIP. This is a concerted effort by the companies to 00:27:30.275 --> 00:27:34.854 get rid of POTS service. They don't want it. And we've 00:27:34.864 --> 00:27:38.795 had situations where we've had VoIP. The system was 00:27:38.805 --> 00:27:41.795 flooded in our basement. We didn't have service from 00:27:41.805 --> 00:27:46.410 AT&T for 4 months. How do you run a medical 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:52.019 office that way? People forget POTS service runs 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:57.118 without electricity. So that's why POTS is necessary. 00:27:57.130 --> 00:28:01.818 Thank you. Thank you so much for calling in. Can we have 00:28:01.828 --> 00:28:08.809 our next caller, please. 00:28:08.809 --> 00:28:13.380 Our next caller is Thomas Fox. Your line is open. 00:28:13.380 --> 00:28:16.209 Good evening. Thank you so much for taking my call. 00:28:16.670 --> 00:28:20.390 Um, I've been having some problems with AT&T and 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:23.910 I'm wondering if there's any initiative from their 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:27.309 company. To maintain the infrastructure that supplies 00:28:27.318 --> 00:28:30.358 the POTS system. Uh, the service people that have come 00:28:30.368 --> 00:28:33.078 out. To try to repair our phone that has not been working 00:28:33.088 --> 00:28:38.920 since November, reliably of November of 2022. That they 00:28:38.930 --> 00:28:43.299 have no interest in maintaining the service. Because 00:28:43.309 --> 00:28:46.900 there's no money left in it. We have a 500 pair cable 00:28:46.910 --> 00:28:51.039 between two telephone poles that has been exhibiting 00:28:51.049 --> 00:28:53.989 problems for the better part of 4 years. And for 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:56.779 the last 6 months, we've had no phone. But we've 00:28:56.789 --> 00:29:00.578 been getting a bill for $70. 00:29:00.578 --> 00:29:04.000 So there's something wrong here. This is a company 00:29:04.009 --> 00:29:06.189 that doesn't communicate with their service people. 00:29:06.199 --> 00:29:08.729 That suggests that this needs to have a construction 00:29:08.739 --> 00:29:11.989 team come out and replace that wire. And AT&T has 00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:16.209 no interest in doing that. This is ridiculous. They 00:29:16.269 --> 00:29:20.838 should have their license revoked. 00:29:20.838 --> 00:29:23.019 Thank you so much for calling in to share. This is 00:29:23.029 --> 00:29:27.400 why we're here. And, uh can we please have the next 00:29:27.410 --> 00:29:29.660 caller? 00:29:29.660 --> 00:29:32.809 The next caller is uh, comes from Catherine. Your line 00:29:32.818 --> 00:29:36.439 is open. 00:29:36.439 --> 00:29:41.078 Hello, can you hear me? Yes, we can. Please continue. Okay, great. Hi 00:29:41.088 --> 00:29:44.750 My name is Catherine Uli. I live in Los Banas, California. 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:49.910 We are a town of about just under 50,000 people. I 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:52.890 have Verizon Wireless. I've had this service for almost 00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:56.578 20 years. Initially, it was really the best service 00:29:56.588 --> 00:30:01.650 in the area reliable. However in the last decade, 00:30:01.979 --> 00:30:04.199 actually, a little longer than that. It has really 00:30:04.209 --> 00:30:06.868 gone downhill. To the point of when I actually called 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:11.809 in to access this particular conference. Nobody could 00:30:11.818 --> 00:30:15.009 even hear me on my Verizon cell phone. This happens 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:17.699 all the time. My service, I live a one mile from a 00:30:17.709 --> 00:30:21.009 Verizon store. I'm within city limits and my service 00:30:21.019 --> 00:30:26.189 is. So I just, it pains me that Verizon 00:30:26.199 --> 00:30:30.098 is focusing on 5G in large cities and in communities 00:30:30.108 --> 00:30:35.068 like ours. Our service remains really poor. Thank you 00:30:35.078 --> 00:30:37.818 so much for your time. 00:30:37.818 --> 00:30:40.559 Thank you as well for calling in. We appreciate it. 00:30:40.689 --> 00:30:46.979 Can we have our next commenter, please? The comments comes from 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:51.969 Kim Miles. Your line is open. Good evening. My name is 00:30:51.979 --> 00:30:56.608 Kim Miles. I live in Pasadena. I'm calling regarding 00:30:56.618 --> 00:31:01.608 my AT&T landline and internet service. I documented 00:31:01.618 --> 00:31:05.068 numerous times without resolution. The number of down 00:31:05.078 --> 00:31:09.439 times that the system went down. And talked to many 00:31:09.449 --> 00:31:13.400 technical support people. Had technicians to my home, 00:31:13.410 --> 00:31:16.039 uh through all of this. There was never any change 00:31:16.049 --> 00:31:20.098 in the billing, it always stayed the same. And when 00:31:20.108 --> 00:31:23.949 I tried to ask for customer service, I was told 00:31:23.959 --> 00:31:27.799 AT&T did not have customer service. But I could send 00:31:27.809 --> 00:31:32.618 a letter to AT&T in Dallas, Texas. Which I did 00:31:32.630 --> 00:31:36.719 along with all of the documentation for the downtimes. 00:31:37.088 --> 00:31:41.380 I got the letter back from AT&T indicating that 00:31:41.390 --> 00:31:44.559 I should contact the technical support number that 00:31:44.568 --> 00:31:49.709 I had been calling. So my concern is at no time. Do 00:31:49.719 --> 00:31:53.338 we ever get compensated for the amount of time that 00:31:53.348 --> 00:31:57.059 our system is down. As opposed to the amount of time 00:31:57.078 --> 00:32:01.670 that they consider. Thank you for your help with this. 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:05.140 I hope someone takes that into consideration and thank 00:32:05.150 --> 00:32:09.259 you. Thank you so much for calling in. Can we have 00:32:09.269 --> 00:32:12.180 our next commenter, please? 00:32:12.180 --> 00:32:15.640 Our next comment comes from Tanya Peter. Your line 00:32:15.650 --> 00:32:36.098 is open. Honey, your line is open. 00:32:36.098 --> 00:32:39.818 Do we have that caller with us? 00:32:39.818 --> 00:32:42.299 The 00:32:42.299 --> 00:33:01.489 caller's line is open. 00:33:01.489 --> 00:33:08.449 Maybe come back? Yes. Uh, the next caller is Clifford 00:33:08.459 --> 00:33:11.680 Cornell. Your line's open. 00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:16.239 Thank you. I live in Orange County, California and 00:33:16.250 --> 00:33:22.309 I have AT&T POTS service landline. I've lived in this 00:33:22.318 --> 00:33:27.969 area for 35 plus years, with an AT&T POTS line. And 00:33:27.979 --> 00:33:32.959 during that time in the first 30 years, you could count 00:33:32.969 --> 00:33:37.348 on one hand how many problems that we had in the past 00:33:37.358 --> 00:33:41.930 5 years. It's multiple times that we've lost service 00:33:41.939 --> 00:33:48.358 or had service that was unusable. And the time it takes 00:33:48.368 --> 00:33:52.578 for them to respond and fix it has gotten to be at 00:33:52.588 --> 00:33:56.328 least 10 days each time. And I've lost service in the 00:33:56.338 --> 00:34:00.689 past 3 months. 00:34:00.689 --> 00:34:05.900 So the service from AT&T for POTS is just deteriorating 00:34:05.910 --> 00:34:08.489 tremendously. 00:34:08.489 --> 00:34:13.648 And there is a reason to have a POTS line. Thank you. Thank you 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:16.869 so much for calling in. Um, can we have our next caller 00:34:16.878 --> 00:34:21.590 please? Our next caller comes from Melissa. Your line 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:24.010 is open. 00:34:24.010 --> 00:34:27.789 Hi. Um, I am calling from Madera, California, Central 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:31.840 California. And I live a mile and a half from a Verizon 00:34:31.849 --> 00:34:37.179 Tower, and lose service all the time. I'm in sales and 00:34:37.188 --> 00:34:41.289 even at my house. I can't, I am setting underneath the 00:34:41.300 --> 00:34:44.840 tower. Because I can't, if I go to the house, I lose 00:34:44.849 --> 00:34:49.878 my service. I work in sales. I pay $264 a month on 00:34:49.889 --> 00:34:53.510 two cell phones and a watch. And literally I can't 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:55.938 even use my phone at my house. Nobody can hear me, 00:34:55.949 --> 00:34:58.878 and I'm a mile and a half from the tower. So it's 00:34:58.889 --> 00:35:02.019 come to the point that my entire company is gonna switch 00:35:02.030 --> 00:35:04.739 out of Verizon. It doesn't sound like AT&T is any 00:35:04.750 --> 00:35:07.889 better. Um, we're not really sure what we're to do. 00:35:07.898 --> 00:35:11.168 I mean, $264 and we're not streaming. We're not doing 00:35:11.179 --> 00:35:14.320 anything but emails and calls off of the phone. And 00:35:14.329 --> 00:35:17.559 it sounds like the rest of the, rest of the State is 00:35:17.570 --> 00:35:20.389 really having issues with service. And you guys don't 00:35:20.398 --> 00:35:23.510 care to take the money, fix the service. You gotta 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:26.119 work on that because it's really you're taking our money, 00:35:26.128 --> 00:35:29.099 and it's actual BS. So have a great evening y'all. 00:35:31.148 --> 00:35:33.809 Thank you so much for calling in and sharing. Can we 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:36.619 have our next caller, please? 00:35:36.619 --> 00:35:39.320 The next comment comes from Mary Jones. Your line is 00:35:39.329 --> 00:35:41.530 open. 00:35:41.530 --> 00:35:44.679 Good afternoon. My name is Mary Jones. I live in Fresno 00:35:44.688 --> 00:35:50.648 City. And um, my complaint is with Verizon. I have Verizon 00:35:50.659 --> 00:35:57.570 5G and unlimited internet and it's very frustrating. 00:35:57.579 --> 00:36:02.079 When I get, I'm trying to do a video call with my 00:36:02.090 --> 00:36:06.760 surgeon. And it, we can't do the video call. It doesn't 00:36:06.769 --> 00:36:10.590 come through. And we tried for about 40 minutes with 00:36:10.599 --> 00:36:14.599 no success. Another frustrating, frustrating situation 00:36:14.610 --> 00:36:18.219 is my daughter is going to college and it's online 00:36:18.228 --> 00:36:23.610 college. And her, she can't get to the website. It takes 00:36:23.619 --> 00:36:26.619 forever to get any websites to come up and so forth, 00:36:26.628 --> 00:36:30.519 because the internet is so bad with Verizon. So those 00:36:30.530 --> 00:36:33.648 are my main concerns. Um the, the calls have been 00:36:33.659 --> 00:36:37.340 pretty good. Some of them kind of fuzzy, but not bad. 00:36:37.739 --> 00:36:40.539 Um, but it's the internet service that we're paying 00:36:40.550 --> 00:36:45.360 premium for the, is the service is just not there. It's 00:36:45.369 --> 00:36:49.010 really gone down. So that's my complaint and concern. 00:36:49.320 --> 00:36:51.378 Thank you for your time and everyone have a lovely 00:36:51.389 --> 00:36:53.360 day. 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:55.688 And, and likewise thank you so much for calling 00:36:55.699 --> 00:36:59.688 in. Can we have our next commenter, please? 00:36:59.688 --> 00:37:03.188 And that's coming, comes from Lalani Williams. Your 00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:05.579 line is open. 00:37:05.579 --> 00:37:09.289 Hello. Um, Lalani Williams. I'm up here in Dobbins 00:37:09.300 --> 00:37:15.000 California, Eba County. Um I have Verizon and I also 00:37:15.010 --> 00:37:17.110 have horrible service and agree with a lot of the other 00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:20.208 comments about being compensated for a service that's 00:37:20.219 --> 00:37:23.800 not being provided for spotty. I'm having issues making 00:37:23.809 --> 00:37:28.989 calls even 911. Like it's not an option to make a call 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:32.719 sending text messages, text messages with pictures 00:37:32.728 --> 00:37:37.030 is impossible. Um, using the internet on our phones 00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:39.780 is also horrible as well. And tech support has been 00:37:39.789 --> 00:37:43.340 great, but it doesn't seem like anything is being resolved. 00:37:43.349 --> 00:37:45.909 I've had the same issue with my phone for what seems 00:37:45.918 --> 00:37:48.619 like a year now and I have more of a relationship with 00:37:48.628 --> 00:37:52.728 it than I do with my mom. And I think that's kind 00:37:52.739 --> 00:37:57.329 of horrible. I think service could be better and like 00:37:57.340 --> 00:37:59.519 the way that everybody else says. Verizon used to be 00:37:59.530 --> 00:38:01.938 really great and reliable. And now it's not so much. 00:38:01.949 --> 00:38:05.989 And I don't know if it's, uh hearsay. But I heard that 00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:08.199 there's only 3G equipment out here, but yet we're 00:38:08.208 --> 00:38:11.070 being, we're paying for 5G. And I don't think that's 00:38:11.079 --> 00:38:15.708 okay. Thank you. Thank you so much for calling in today. 00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:19.099 Can we have our next caller, please? 00:38:19.099 --> 00:38:25.000 Our next comment comes from Darcy Weir, your line's open. 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:30.110 Hi, can you hear me? Yes we can, please continue. 00:38:30.800 --> 00:38:38.079 Okay. Um so I have a, a concern about the services that 00:38:38.090 --> 00:38:41.369 AT&T provides to its seniors. I called about a 00:38:41.378 --> 00:38:45.760 senior program and asked if they had anything for seniors. 00:38:45.769 --> 00:38:49.429 Because I've been with it for, AT&T for 35 years. 00:38:49.438 --> 00:38:52.139 I mean, before they went to Cingular. Remember when 00:38:52.148 --> 00:38:54.369 they went to Cingular, then they back pedaled and went 00:38:54.378 --> 00:38:57.530 back to AT&T. Well, I've been there with them that 00:38:57.539 --> 00:39:00.840 long. And now I'm a senior and they're still wanting 00:39:00.849 --> 00:39:04.889 to charge me $100 a month for two lines. And that's 00:39:04.898 --> 00:39:07.449 ridiculous. And I said, do they have any plans of coming 00:39:07.458 --> 00:39:12.090 up with a senior plan for their aging out customers? And they 00:39:12.099 --> 00:39:14.739 said no, we have no foreseeable plan for that. I'd 00:39:14.750 --> 00:39:18.208 like them to consider that as a feasible option for 00:39:18.219 --> 00:39:22.840 their long term customers. Thank you. Thank you so 00:39:22.849 --> 00:39:25.760 much for calling in today. Can we have our next caller 00:39:25.769 --> 00:39:27.708 please? 00:39:27.708 --> 00:39:34.708 Our next color is Jay Wilson. Your line is open. 00:39:34.708 --> 00:39:38.079 My name is Jay Wilson. I'm an undergraduate student 00:39:38.090 --> 00:39:41.090 at University of South Carolina. Wireless services have 00:39:41.099 --> 00:39:43.668 played and will continue to play a vital role for remote 00:39:43.679 --> 00:39:46.579 and distance learning. It was helpful during the pandemic 00:39:46.590 --> 00:39:48.829 but also helpful to students and teachers with more 00:39:48.840 --> 00:39:52.090 information in real time. It allows us to communicate 00:39:52.099 --> 00:39:54.269 with each other and study groups to access important 00:39:54.280 --> 00:39:57.429 information for research and data gathering. And helps 00:39:57.438 --> 00:40:03.110 us relay info. 00:40:03.110 --> 00:40:05.760 Innovation has enabled this connectivity not utility 00:40:05.769 --> 00:40:10.639 rules. Uh, thank you. 00:40:10.639 --> 00:40:13.030 Thank you so much for calling in. Could we have our 00:40:13.039 --> 00:40:15.909 next caller, please? 00:40:15.909 --> 00:40:19.619 Our next comment comes from Alani Rogers. Your line 00:40:19.628 --> 00:40:24.059 is open. 00:40:24.059 --> 00:40:28.860 Hello? Hi, my name is Alani Rogers and I live in Nevada 00:40:28.869 --> 00:40:32.849 City, California. Um I'm calling in, I have POTS service. 00:40:32.860 --> 00:40:36.349 Can you guys hear me? Yes we can, please continue. 00:40:36.739 --> 00:40:40.599 Okay, I have POTS service at my home which was out from 00:40:40.610 --> 00:40:45.619 February 27-April 6. I have AT&T. Um, it 00:40:45.628 --> 00:40:48.679 took me basically accosting the AT&T workers on 00:40:48.688 --> 00:40:51.780 our roads. To get someone to fix my line, even though 00:40:51.789 --> 00:40:54.489 I would call. I also have cell phone service through 00:40:54.500 --> 00:40:57.398 Verizon that did not work at my house. So I actually 00:40:57.409 --> 00:40:59.679 had to switch service providers because I had no way 00:40:59.688 --> 00:41:01.878 to communicate with the outside world from my home 00:41:02.438 --> 00:41:05.559 Um I switched to AT&T cell which works marginally 00:41:05.820 --> 00:41:11.260 at my house. Um, I think uh considering services for 00:41:11.269 --> 00:41:15.199 rural California of us impacted by weather is very 00:41:15.208 --> 00:41:19.750 important at this time. 00:41:19.750 --> 00:41:22.639 Thank you so much for calling in and sharing your experiences. 00:41:22.869 --> 00:41:27.188 Do we have a, our next caller, please? Yes. Our next 00:41:27.199 --> 00:41:31.250 comment comes from Brad Thomas. Your line is open. 00:41:41.559 --> 00:41:49.139 Uh Brad Thomas, your line is open. That's Brad Thomas? 00:41:49.139 --> 00:41:52.969 Yes, please continue. Yes. My, my name is Fred Thomas 00:41:52.978 --> 00:41:56.949 and I live in Bakersfield, California. And my issue is with 00:41:56.958 --> 00:42:00.228 the connectivity with Verizon. I've been with Verizon 00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:04.679 for over 20 years and in my neighborhood they can only 00:42:04.688 --> 00:42:08.090 get one bar. I can get one bar inside of the house. 00:42:08.099 --> 00:42:10.898 But I, if I really want to like, I'm doing it tonight. 00:42:11.228 --> 00:42:14.300 I go inside of my car in a different part of the 00:42:14.309 --> 00:42:19.110 city to get two or three bars. Which is uh, unfortunate. 00:42:19.628 --> 00:42:22.260 Um and I mean, when you call customer service. You 00:42:22.320 --> 00:42:26.409 basically put on hold for 45 minutes to an hour or 00:42:26.418 --> 00:42:30.159 you get a drop call after waiting for 30 minutes. And 00:42:30.168 --> 00:42:31.898 so I was wondering if there was any kind of customer 00:42:31.909 --> 00:42:36.668 service levels that the (inaudible) Verizon wireless 00:42:36.668 --> 00:42:40.300 held accountable to? 00:42:40.300 --> 00:42:46.469 Look at uh drop calls, uh resolution and long customer 00:42:46.478 --> 00:42:51.139 service uh delays. Thank you very much. Thank you so 00:42:51.148 --> 00:42:53.719 much for calling in and sharing. Can we have our next 00:42:53.728 --> 00:42:58.478 commenter, please? Our next comment comes from, I believe 00:42:58.489 --> 00:43:04.360 it's Mary. Your line is open. 00:43:04.360 --> 00:43:07.938 from Maryville. 00:43:07.938 --> 00:43:12.340 Um, my name is Sherry and I'm in Marysville, California. 00:43:12.889 --> 00:43:18.570 And I have contacts for my landline and I'm constantly 00:43:18.989 --> 00:43:23.409 losing the service. I'll be in the middle of a phone 00:43:23.418 --> 00:43:30.500 call and the calls drop. And sometimes it'll just not 00:43:30.510 --> 00:43:34.699 ring. I get somebody calling me 2, 3 days later. How 00:43:34.708 --> 00:43:37.648 come you haven't answered my call? Well, the phone 00:43:37.659 --> 00:43:41.769 hasn't rung. There's something wrong with the service. 00:43:43.019 --> 00:43:46.389 And quite a few times I've had people say well, I 00:43:46.398 --> 00:43:50.228 can't hear you. Can you speak up? 00:43:50.228 --> 00:43:54.780 Well, it's really windy here when um, this weather 00:43:55.228 --> 00:44:01.179 you get, we lose our service. But as far as cell phones 00:44:01.188 --> 00:44:05.898 go. I think Verizon needs to be shut down. I really 00:44:05.909 --> 00:44:12.510 do. I've had Verizon for over 20 years. 00:44:12.510 --> 00:44:15.139 They charge you to walk in their door. They don't help 00:44:15.148 --> 00:44:18.219 you with anything. They say well, work. So I take it 00:44:18.228 --> 00:44:23.269 to the store, they want to charge you $30 to do something 00:44:23.280 --> 00:44:27.938 that they should have done in the first place. 00:44:27.938 --> 00:44:30.398 Thank you so much for calling in and sharing your experience. 00:44:33.250 --> 00:44:37.250 Can we have our next commenter, please. Our next comment comes 00:44:37.260 --> 00:44:50.128 from uh, Javier. Your line is open. 00:44:50.128 --> 00:44:54.030 (silence) 00:44:54.030 --> 00:45:03.409 Javier, your line's open sir. 00:45:03.409 --> 00:45:05.728 Hello? 00:45:05.728 --> 00:45:09.688 Hello? Hello, we can hear you. Please continue. Yes. My name 00:45:09.699 --> 00:45:16.469 is Amir and I have had Verizon for 10 years. And recently Verizon 00:45:16.628 --> 00:45:19.239 is just not providing me the service you need. And 00:45:19.250 --> 00:45:22.579 when you complain, they send you a letter basically 00:45:22.590 --> 00:45:26.289 threatening you. The letter is just written from Verizon 00:45:26.300 --> 00:45:29.429 Wireless, threatening you to disconnect your phone 00:45:29.438 --> 00:45:34.478 services without even giving your notice. So I'm not 00:45:34.489 --> 00:45:39.228 sure if that's extortion or blackmailing or what it 00:45:39.239 --> 00:45:44.119 is. But it seems like this corporate Verizon Wireless 00:45:44.128 --> 00:45:47.519 types of networks or corporations have more power than 00:45:47.530 --> 00:45:50.929 anything else. And it seems like in some cities they 00:45:50.938 --> 00:45:56.530 make deals. So I live in Chino Hills. That's 91709. 00:45:56.539 --> 00:46:03.168 In certain providers service. So is that true 00:46:03.179 --> 00:46:06.800 that service cities make deals with this network providers? 00:46:07.530 --> 00:46:10.610 So that way they only make uh, they provide you the 00:46:10.619 --> 00:46:13.800 networks that you need. It's really unfortunate in 00:46:13.809 --> 00:46:18.938 a country like the United States. We have no 00:46:18.938 --> 00:46:21.969 third world countries. Some third world countries have 00:46:21.978 --> 00:46:25.938 better services than us. Thank you. Have a great day, 00:46:25.949 --> 00:46:27.898 sir. And by the way, thank you so much for giving us 00:46:27.909 --> 00:46:31.478 the opportunity to speak. Thank you so much for calling 00:46:31.489 --> 00:46:34.070 in today. 00:46:34.070 --> 00:46:37.550 We have our next commenter, please. Our next comment 00:46:37.559 --> 00:46:41.688 comes from Regina Herrera. Your line's open. 00:46:41.688 --> 00:46:45.780 Hi. Um I'm calling in today um from Vacaville, California. 00:46:46.059 --> 00:46:49.378 And I'm calling to say that um AT&T, I've had 00:46:49.389 --> 00:46:52.648 them for 15 years. And the last 5 years have been 00:46:52.659 --> 00:46:57.340 horrible. Um I was at the hospital, it took 17 tries 00:46:57.349 --> 00:47:00.519 for me to be able to get through to my husband. It 00:47:00.530 --> 00:47:03.340 took 20 tries to try to get a hold of my Aunt 00:47:03.349 --> 00:47:08.000 who was also in an emergency. My mom needed me to drive 00:47:08.010 --> 00:47:11.090 her home, because she was sick. And I couldn't get the 00:47:11.099 --> 00:47:14.070 call because my mom couldn't call out. She has, she's 00:47:14.079 --> 00:47:19.010 on my plan. Um, and I went to Apple because the 00:47:19.019 --> 00:47:23.389 AT&T kept saying that it was my phone service. That 00:47:23.398 --> 00:47:26.969 I mean, my cell phone that was wrong and messed up. 00:47:26.978 --> 00:47:29.000 Well, when I went to the Apple, they said it looked 00:47:29.010 --> 00:47:32.918 like my um, the cell phone was having a heart attack. 00:47:32.929 --> 00:47:34.989 Because the service looks like I have service for an 00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:37.519 hour. Then it's gone for 30 minutes. Then I have it 00:47:37.530 --> 00:47:41.280 for another two hours and it's off for an hour. So 00:47:41.289 --> 00:47:43.199 I just really hope that you guys can figure out what's 00:47:43.208 --> 00:47:48.539 going on. Thank you for your time. Thank 00:47:48.550 --> 00:47:51.668 you so much for calling in to share. We have our next 00:47:51.679 --> 00:48:06.090 commenter, please. 00:48:06.090 --> 00:48:11.378 Do we have our next caller, please? 00:48:11.378 --> 00:48:15.269 Yes, uh. The next comment comes from, I believe the 00:48:15.280 --> 00:48:27.449 name is Bylynn. Your line is open. 00:48:27.449 --> 00:48:30.978 Was it Simon? 00:48:30.978 --> 00:48:35.329 Yes, your line. Yes, please continue sir. Okay. My name 00:48:35.340 --> 00:48:38.820 is Simon Cavatick. I was recently an undergraduate student at 00:48:38.829 --> 00:48:42.280 UCLA, until I graduated this Winter. Uh, I believe 00:48:42.289 --> 00:48:45.530 that wireless (inaudible) has played and will continue to 00:48:45.539 --> 00:48:48.050 play a vital role for remote and distance learning. 00:48:48.958 --> 00:48:53.478 It was very helpful during the pandemic. Um, but also 00:48:53.489 --> 00:48:55.398 not just myself but for other students and teachers 00:48:55.409 --> 00:48:58.708 with more info in real time. I believe that uh, these 00:48:58.719 --> 00:49:00.550 communications allow us to communicate with each other 00:49:00.559 --> 00:49:03.739 in study groups. Acess important information for research 00:49:04.159 --> 00:49:08.159 and data gathering and help us relay info. Innovation 00:49:08.168 --> 00:49:12.610 has enabled us to connectivity, not utility rules. 00:49:12.610 --> 00:49:18.099 Thank you so much. Thank you so much for calling in. 00:49:18.099 --> 00:49:22.139 Could I, could we have our next commenter please? 00:49:22.139 --> 00:49:25.769 Your Honor, I have a couple of people that are 00:49:25.780 --> 00:49:29.570 in the queue. But I don't have their names. I've tried getting 00:49:29.579 --> 00:49:31.458 it, 00:49:31.458 --> 00:49:35.349 and they're not responding. 00:49:35.349 --> 00:49:43.599 Okay. Well um, 00:49:43.599 --> 00:49:48.050 uh then I guess we are uh close to being done. Commissioner 00:49:48.059 --> 00:49:50.969 Houck. Do you have any final comments you wish to make? 00:49:52.489 --> 00:49:55.090 I just want to thank everyone. Just appreciate you 00:49:55.099 --> 00:49:59.059 taking the time to um, relate to us your experiences. 00:49:59.070 --> 00:50:03.489 And um, participate in this evening's Public Participation 00:50:03.500 --> 00:50:06.889 Hearing. Um and with that I, I don't have any other 00:50:06.898 --> 00:50:09.918 comments. Other than assure folks that their comments 00:50:09.929 --> 00:50:12.809 will be taken down in the official transcript for this 00:50:12.820 --> 00:50:19.378 Hearing, and um and reviewed. 00:50:19.378 --> 00:50:22.378 Thank you so much, Commissioner Houck. That concludes 00:50:22.389 --> 00:50:27.780 all of the speakers who signed up to speak. If anyone 00:50:27.789 --> 00:50:32.128 uh, still listening to our video feed. Uh, wants to 00:50:32.139 --> 00:50:35.148 provide our, our audio feed wants to provide additional 00:50:35.159 --> 00:50:38.349 input for comments after this Hearing. You may submit 00:50:38.360 --> 00:50:41.949 written comments on the docket card for this proceeding. 00:50:42.179 --> 00:50:45.929 Which can be found on the Commission's website at 00:50:45.938 --> 00:50:49.719 www.cpuc.ca.gov 00:50:50.139 --> 00:50:55.059 /pph If you need assistance with providing additional 00:50:55.070 --> 00:50:59.340 comments, please contact the Commission's Public Advisers 00:50:59.349 --> 00:51:07.829 Office during normal business hours at 1-866-849-8390. 00:51:08.250 --> 00:51:16.039 or by emailing public.advisor That's A. D. V. I. S 00:51:16.050 --> 00:51:20.418 O. R.@cpuc.ca.gov 00:51:21.550 --> 00:51:24.030 This concludes this evening's Public Participation 00:51:24.039 --> 00:51:28.500 Hearing. Thank you so much for all your input and comments. 00:51:28.510 --> 00:51:31.978 Thank you so much to uh, folks in our Public Advisors 00:51:31.989 --> 00:51:36.429 Office. And IT and our operator for, for your help. We 00:51:36.438 --> 00:51:39.059 are adjourned. We will be off the record. And Operator, 00:51:39.070 --> 00:51:40.878 if you could please disconnect the call.