(a) The commission shall annually do all of the following:
(1) Designate a class of lifeline service necessary to meet minimum communications needs.
(2) Set the rates and charges for that service.
(3) Develop eligibility criteria for that service.
(4) Assess the degree of achievement of universal service, including telephone penetration rates by income, ethnicity, and geography.
(b) Minimum communications needs include, but are not limited to, the ability to originate and receive calls and the ability to access electronic information services.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 265. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)