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LEADING CALIFORNIA COMMUNICATIONS

Rina Venturini

Wondering where CalCom stands on a legislative issue? Contact Rina Venturini, CalCom's Lobbyist, Government Strategies

California Cash - Flow or No Flow?

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's "State of the State Address" did not include the usual report on progress and where he hopes to take the State. Instead, he made a statement about the economic crises and called upon the legislature to resolve the problem quickly. A presentation released by the Department of Finance suggests the State will run out of cash in February and will have to issue IOU's for tax refunds, vendor payments, etc. The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released their own views of the situation and an analysis of the Governor's Proposed Budget. LAO Report/ LAO.Budget.Analysis

California Public Utilities Commission (PUC)

Next Commission Meeting: January 29, 2009 Agenda

Commission To Consider Decision on Adopted Unbundled Network Elements - This decision determines that the adopted Unbundled Network Element (UNE) reexamination process will apply to Pacific Bell Telephone Company dba AT&T California (AT&T), as well as Verizon California Inc. (Verizon). A price cap mechanism is adopted for annual updates to the UNE rates adopted for Verizon and AT&T, but the Commission finds that § 252 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the state to conduct periodic cost-study proceedings to update UNE rates, based on the Total Element Long Run Incremental Cost (TELRIC) methodology. A schedule is established for future TELRIC costing proceedings for AT&T and Verizon, and the use of the HM 5.3 model is mandated for use in those costing proceedings. Deferred to January 29, 2009. Decision

Several Small Company Telecom Rate Case Decisions are also on the Agenda

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The “Red Flags” Rule:What Telecom Companies Need to Know About Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft - "Telecommunications companies may be the first to spot the red flags that signal the risk of identity theft, including suspicious activity suggesting that crooks may be using stolen information to establish service.  That’s why you need to know about a new law that requires many businesses – including most companies that provide telecommunications services to consumers – to spot the red flags that can be the telltale signs of identity theft and do something about them. The new regulation – called the Red Flags Rule – requires companies to develop a written “red flags program” to detect, prevent, and minimize the damage that could result from identity theft.  The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the Red Flags Rule." Excerpt from publication by Tiffany George and Paveneet Singh, FTC Full Text

NOTE: Companies should understand that this is just an opinion about how the rules operate, and not the rules themselves. It is recommended that you develop your policy based on the actual FTC rule. / PDF in CalCom Library

California Communications Association (CalCom)

Geoff Feiss, General Manager of Montana Telecommunications Association, Joins USAC Board of Directors - Replacing Jason Williams on the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) Board of Directors is Geoff Feiss, the General Manager of the Montana Telecommunications Association (MTA). Geoff has been at MTA for ten years and has spent decades in the telecommunications industry. He is highly knowledgeable about the challenges facing telecommunications carriers in rural America. Geoff’s term on the USAC Board expires in 2011.

CalCom is a statewide trade association comprised of 14 incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) providing telecommunications services within California. In addition to these core members, over 130 providers of products and services to the industry are CalCom associates. About CalCom

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