In rural areas of California, with less reliable cellular coverage and inconsistent broadband access, landline telephones are a lifeline to emergency services, community resources, business connections, and friends and family.

A bill before the California Assembly, AB 470, would eliminate AT&T’s obligation to provide telephone services to every home and business in its service territory.

This isn’t AT&T’s first attempt to shirk its obligation to California telephone customers. Just last year, the California Public Utility Commission rejected AT&T’s bid to drop its carrier of last resort responsibilities and the California legislature rejected a bill similar to AB 470.

Call members of the California Assembly's Committee on Communications and Conveyance and tell them Californians need reliable telephone services and that AT&T must continue to meet its obligations to California’s seniors, farmers, and rural and underserved communities.