Dear Senators,

California residents and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) were loud and clear,

AT&T: Don’t abandon California during emergencies!
Now, California residents need you to VOTE NO ON AB 2797 (McKinnor)!

Public pushback against the AT&T proposal to abandon landline service was overwhelming—5,000 residents submitted written comments and hundreds attending public hearings, many drove hundreds of miles to speak in person or waited on the phone for hours. 
In denying AT&T’s request, CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds noted, “Our vote to dismiss AT&T’s application made clear that we will protect customer access to basic telephone service – no matter where they live…Our rules were designed to provide that assurance, and AT&T’s application did not follow our rules.”

Now, AT&T has resorted to using the unsavory “gut and amend” legislative maneuver, transforming a bill originally about horse racing into a bill that permits AT&T to abandon its obligations to provide landline service. This request, in defiance of Thursday’s CPUC ruling, flies in the face of public outrage and community need. 
I add my voice to the 1000’s of California residents demanding that you keep our families and communities safe and hold AT&T accountable for its responsibility. Put California people over corporate profit — vote no on AB 2797!