PUC Delays Vote on ‘Bill of Rights’

The state Public Utilities Commission said Tuesday that it would delay for two weeks a vote that could shelve indefinitely the nation’s first consumer protection rules covering both cellular and conventional phone services.

The postponement came as consumer groups and the state attorney general’s office complained that they had too little time to respond to a proposed order that Commissioner Susan P. Kennedy issued Jan. 5. A vote on the order had been scheduled for Thursday.

Consumer groups also said the commission should wait until two new appointees to the five-member board are sworn in before reconsidering rules it adopted on a 3-2 vote in May.

Under the rules, known as the telecom consumers bill of rights, the trial period allowing cancellation of service was raised from the industry norm of 14 days to 30 days. The rules also require clearly organized billing, specific disclosures and writing that is unambiguous.

Kennedy, an ardent foe of the rules, said Tuesday that she would agree to hold the matter until the PUC’s Jan. 27 meeting. She said she didn’t “have the appetite” for a potentially ugly fight at this week’s meeting, the first to be held without two members whose terms expired at the end of December.

The PUC will be short two members Thursday because the swearing in of replacements appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been delayed.

Kennedy issued the proposed order to shelve the consumer rules after 45 carriers said they couldn’t meet deadlines for complying on matters involving marketing practices, service initiation, prepaid calling cards, billing, disputes and service termination.