5371.6. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that advertising and use of telephone service is essential for charter-party carriers of passengers to obtain business and to conduct intrastate passenger transportation services. Unlawful advertisements by unlicensed charter-party carriers of passengers has resulted in properly licensed and regulated charter-party carriers of passengers competing with unlicensed charter-party carriers of passengers using unfair business practices. Unlicensed charter-party carriers of passengers have also exposed citizens of the state to unscrupulous persons who portray themselves as properly licensed, qualified, and insured charter-party carriers of passengers. Many of these unlicensed charter-party carriers of passengers have been found to have operated their vehicles without insurance or in an unsafe manner, placing the citizens of the state at risk.
(b) (1) The Legislature finds and declares that the termination of telephone service utilized by unlicensed charter-party carriers of passengers is essential to ensure the public safety and welfare. Therefore, the commission should take enforcement action as specified in this section to disconnect telephone service of unlicensed charter-party carriers of passengers who unlawfully advertise passenger transportation services in yellow page directories and other publications. The enforcement actions provided for by this section are consistent with the decision of the California Supreme Court in Goldin v. Public Utilities Commission (1979) 23 Cal.3d 638.
(2) For purposes of this section, a telephone corporation or telegraph corporation, or a corporation that holds a controlling interest in the telephone or telegraph corporation, or any business that is a subsidiary or affiliate of the telephone or telegraph corporation, that has the name and address of the subscriber to a telephone number being used by an unlicensed charter-party carrier of passengers shall provide the commission, or an authorized officer or employee of the commission, upon demand, and the order of a magistrate, access to this information. A magistrate may only issue an order, for the purposes of this subdivision, if the magistrate has made the findings required by subdivision (c).
(c) A telephone or telegraph corporation shall refuse telephone service to a new subscriber and shall disconnect telephone service of an existing subscriber only after it is shown that other available enforcement remedies of the commission have failed to terminate unlawful activities detrimental to the public welfare and safety, and upon receipt from any authorized officer or employee of the commission of a writing, signed by a magistrate, as defined by Sections 807 and 808 of the Penal Code, finding that probable cause exists to believe that the subscriber is advertising or holding out to the public to perform, or is performing, charter-party carrier of passengers transportation services without having in force a permit or certificate issued by the commission authorizing those services, or that the telephone service otherwise is being used or is to be used as an instrumentality, directly or indirectly, to violate or to assist in violation of the laws requiring a charter-party carrier of passengers permit or certificate. Included in the writing of the magistrate shall be a finding that there is probable cause to believe that the subject telephone facilities have been or are to be used in the commission or facilitation of holding out to the public to perform, or in performing, charter-party carrier of passengers transportation services without having in force a permit or certificate issued by the commission authorizing those services, and that, absent immediate and summary action, a danger to public welfare or safety will result.
(d) Any person aggrieved by any action taken pursuant to this section shall have the right to file a complaint with the commission and may include therein a request for interim relief. The commission shall schedule a public hearing on the complaint to be held within 21 calendar days of the filing and assignment of a docket number to the complaint. The remedy provided by this section shall be exclusive. No other action at law or in equity shall accrue against any telephone or telegraph corporation because of, or as a result of, any matter or thing done or threatened to be done pursuant to this section.
(e) At any hearing held on a complaint filed with the commission pursuant to subdivision (d), the commission staff shall have the right to participate, including the right to present evidence and argument and to present and cross-examine witnesses. The commission staff shall have both the burden of providing that the use made or to be made of the telephone service is to hold out to the public to perform, or to assist in performing, services as a charter-party carrier of passengers, or that the telephone service is being or is to be used as an instrumentality, directly or indirectly, to violate or to assist in violation of the certification or permitting requirements applicable to charter-party carriers of passengers and that the character of the acts are such that, absent immediate and summary action, a danger to public welfare or safety will result, and the burden of persuading the commission that the telephone services should be refused or should not be restored.
(f) The telephone or telegraph corporation, immediately upon refusal or disconnection of service in accordance with subdivision (c), shall notify the subscriber in writing that the refusal or disconnection of telephone service has been made pursuant to a request of the commission and the writing of a magistrate, and shall include with the notice a copy of this section, a copy of the writing of the magistrate, and a statement that the customer or subscriber may request information from the commission at its San Francisco or Los Angeles office concerning any provision of this section and the manner in which a complaint may be filed.
(g) The provisions of this section are an implied term of every contract for telephone service. The provisions of this section are a part of any application for telephone service. Applicants for, and subscribers and customers of, telephone service have, as a matter of law, consented to the provisions of this section as a consideration for the furnishing of the telephone service.
(h) As used in this section, the terms “person,” “customer,” and “subscriber” include a subscriber to telephone service, any person using the telephone service of a subscriber, an applicant for telephone service, a corporation, as defined in Section 204, a “person” as defined in Section 205, a limited liability company, a partnership, an association, and includes their lessees and assigns.
(i) (1) As used in this section, “telephone corporation” means a “telephone corporation” as defined in Section 234.
(2) As used in this section, “telegraph corporation” means a “telegraph corporation” as defined in Section 236.
(j) As used in this section, “authorized officer or employee of the commission” includes the executive director of the commission or any commission employee designated pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 830.11 of the Penal Code.
(Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 701, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2008.)