CWA District 9 Activists Defeat AT&T’s Attempt to Leave Rural Customers Behind

Last month, a coalition of consumer organizations, local government entities, first responders, digital equity advocates, and many other groups, spearheaded by CWA members and retirees, successfully stopped AT&T's latest attempt to leave rural customers without landline telephone service. As the current "carrier of last resort" (COLR) in California, AT&T is obligated to maintain landline communication access for customers in rural areas where other options like satellite may not be available or reliable in an emergency.

AT&T spent more than $5 million lobbying in favor of AB 470, a bill that would have resulted in job losses across the state for CWA members. CWA District 9 staff and members made calls to legislators, signed opposition letters, and showed up in person multiple times at California's state capitol in Sacramento to express their opposition to the measure. Members and allies testified in several legislative hearings and met with state legislators and their staff to outline how AB 470 would hurt union workers and customers.

Though narrowly passed by two legislative committees and one floor vote, the CWA-led coalition was able to stop the bill in the California Senate Appropriations Committee. This victory, in what is considered one of the biggest political fights of the year in the state, is the result of relentless advocacy by CWA and our allies for working-class people and against corporate greed.

CWA District 9 activists took action to protect rural communities and save union telecommunications jobs by holding AT&T to its mandate as "carrier of last resort."