LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1235, as introduced, Calderon. Telecommunications: mobile
telephony service.
Under existing law, the Federal Communications Commission licenses
and partially regulates providers of commercial mobile radio
service, including providers of cellular radiotelephone service
(cellular), broadband Personal Communications Services (PCS), and
digital Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) services (collectively, mobile
telephony service providers). Under existing law, no state or local
government may regulate the entry of, or the rates charged by, any
commercial mobile radio service, but a state or local government is
generally not prohibited from regulating the other terms and
conditions of commercial mobile radio service. Existing law requires
mobile telephony service providers to provide certain customer and
subscriber services.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation to require a provider of mobile telephony services, as
defined, to provide sufficient prior notification to a customer
before money is deducted from the customer's bank account for
services not provided for in the contract for mobile telephony
services. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature to
enact legislation to require such a provider, if there is a billing
dispute settled in the customer's favor, and the disputed sum has
already been deducted from the customer's bank account, to offer the
customer the option to elect either reimbursement of funds or future
credit applied to the customer's service account.