Public utilities: broadband service providers.

The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to prescribe additional classes of private corporations or other persons as public utilities. Existing law, the Public Utilities Act, imposes requirements, including a requirement that rates charged by a public utility are to be just and reasonable, over public utilities. Under existing law a violation of the act by a public utility is a crime. This bill would define "public utility" to include a corporation providing broadband service to the public or a portion of the public. By including corporations providing broadband service as a public utility, the bill would expand the application of requirements imposed on public utilities by the Public Utilities Act to those corporations and would, therefore, expand the scope of a crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. 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. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.