This is a full list of the CPUC's utility enforcement cases of interest.
Jan. 12, 2012: CPUC Staff Report Alleges PG&E's Violation of Laws and Regulations Led to San Bruno Pipeline Rupture; Penalty Consideration Case Begins
Feb. 24, 2011: PUC Begins Penalty Consideration Regarding PG&E Gas Pipeline Recordkeeping
Feb. 24, 2011: CPUC Begins Penalty Consideration Regarding Muni Safety Issues
November 29, 2012: Commission Approves CPSD Settlement with Tele Circuit
This decision (1) grants the joint motion of the Consumer Protection and
Safety Division and Tele Circuit Network Corporation for adoption of their
settlement agreement; and (2) grants Tele Circuit Network Corporation a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to provide inter- and intra-local
access and transport area services in California as a switchless reseller subject to
the terms and conditions set forth below.
September 13, 2012: CPUC Approves CPSD Partial Settlement In 2007 Malibu Fire Investigation
The Commission approved a settlement between CPSD and three of the parties in the Investigation into the Malibu Fires of 2007, I.09-01-018. The fires resulted from high winds that knocked down utility power lines, igniting the dry ground brush.
December 16, 2010: CPUC Orders An Investigation Into Telseven LLC, Calling 10 LLc dba California Calling 10 and Patrick Hines
The CPUC instituted an investigation into the practices of Telseven, LLC, its affiliate Calling 10, LLC, and their owner Patrick Hines to determine whether respondents violated the P.U. Code or other CPUC rules by (a) placing unauthorized charges on phone bills (cramming); (b) operating without CPUC authority from 2003-2007; (c) providing false statement in its application; and (d) failing to remit regulatory fees and surcharges from 2003-2007. Respondents purportedly provide directory assistance service to consumers in California and nationwide. This proceeding is ongoing.
CPUC Cites Passenger Carriers Lyft, SideCar, and Uber $20,000 Each for Public Safety Violations
SAN FRANCISCO, November 14, 2012 - The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in its ongoing commitment to public safety, today said it has issued $20,000 Citations to charter-party carriers Lyft, SideCar, and Uber for illegally operating.
January 12, 2012: PG&E's Seventh Standard Substation Project (I.11-06-010)
The CPUC fined PG&E $100,000 for failure to comply with certain environmental mitigation measures in its construction of the Seventh Standard Substation in northwest Bakersfield. In addition, PG&E will make a donation of $50,000 to the Endangered Species Recovery Program at California State University, Stanislaus.
Feb. 16, 2012: PG&E's Resource Adequacy Compliance (I.11-06-011)
The CPUC has approved a settlement in its penalty consideration case regarding allegations of Resource Adequacy reporting violations by PG&E under which the utility will remit $215,000 to the state’s General Fund. The CPUC's Resource Adequacy program ensures that sufficient resources are available to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the grid in real time.
Americatel Update: Americatel Fined $503,000 in Settlement of Cramming Complaints
The CPUC approved a settlement agreement between Americatel Corporation and the CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Safety Division regarding Americatel’s alleged violations of Public Utilities Code Section 2890 (cramming). By the terms of the settlement, Americatel agreed to pay a fine of $503,000.
In a previous Order, the CPUC instituted an investigation to determine whether Americatel or its agents violated Public Utilities Code Section 2890 or any CPUC rule, regulation, order, requirement, or state law, by billing consumers for dial-around long distance monthly service without the consumers’ authorization and by applying incorrect rates on customers’ phone bills, resulting in overcharges of approximately $3.5 million in total.
CPUC Settles With Three Companies for Illegal Use of Automatic Dialer Violations
The CPUC approved a settlement between its Consumer Protection and Safety Division (CPSD) and three payphone service providers (PSPs) and their owners. The three PSPs are: Intella II, Inc., Limo Services, Inc., and TNT Financial Services. Intella II will pay a fine of $1,000, TNT Financial Services will pay a fine of $500, and the individual owners of Limo Services, Inc., Barbara and Jose Quezada, will replace Limo Services as the named Respondent in this proceeding and will jointly pay a fine of $2,000. Limo Services, Inc. is dismissed as a Respondent. The decision also grants CPSD’s Motion for Summary Adjudication regarding four other respondents. The decision imposes a fine of $13,451 on Alterber Terlusky Freeman and his companies, and $1,462 on Massimo Cavallaro and his company.
In a previous Order, the CPUC instituted an investigation into the practices of these PSPs and their owners: Contractors Strategies Group, Inc., Intella II, Inc., A&M Communications, Limo Services, Inc., TNT Financial Services, CALNEV Communications, and 1st Capital Source Funding & Financial Services, Inc. (collectively, Respondents). During certain periods of time in the past seven or eight years, each Respondent owned, operated, or controlled payphones known as coinless customer-owned pay telephones (COPTs). Through the unlawful connection of automatic dialing-announcing devices to the Respondents COPTs, Respondents generated revenue totaling over $156,000. Of that revenue, $103,193.64 is currently held in an escrow account by Respondents’ billing aggregator, G-Five, LLC.
CPUC Assesses $300,000 Settlement Payment on Constellation NewEnergy
The CPUC approved a settlement between the CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Safety Division (CPSD) and Constellation NewEnergy, Inc. (CNE). CNE was ordered to make a $300,000 settlement payment to the General Fund. In this case, CPSD alleged that CNE violated the CPUC’s System Resource Adequacy Requirement (RAR) for the month of January 2009.
In a previous Order, the CPUC ordered an investigation into the operations and practices of CNE, to determine whether it violated CPUC Resource Adequacy program rules, regulations, or orders in its November 26, 2008, Month-Ahead System Resource Adequacy Compliance Filing for January 2009. CPSD conducted an investigation into CNE’s compliance with its January 2009 RAR. Based on its investigation, CPSD concluded that CNE failed to comply with its RAR procurement obligations and that a fine should be imposed.
CPUC Assesses $12,000 Settlement Payment on NobelBiz VoIP Services
The CPUC approved a settlement between its Consumer Protection and Safety Division and NobelBiz VoIP Services, Inc., and granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to NobelBiz. Among other things, the settlement requires NobelBiz to file an amended application (which it has done), pay a penalty of $12,000 to the General Fund, and comply fully with all applicable regulatory and legal requirements.
CPUC Orders Investigation of OSP Communications
The CPUC instituted an investigation to determine whether OSP Communications, LLC and its alleged owner John Vogel (collectively Respondents) have violated Public Utilities Code Section 2890 (cramming) or any CPUC rule, regulation, order, requirement, or other state law by allegedly placing unauthorized collect call charges on California consumer telephone bills. The CPUC will additionally determine whether these Respondents operated calling card services in violation of Public Utilities Code Section 885, or any CPUC rule, regulation, order, requirement, or other state law for its alleged provision of calling cards without CPUC authorization.
CPUC Orders Investigation of PG&E for Failure to Secure Required Energy Resources
The CPUC instituted an investigation to consider whether to penalize PG&E $7,133,100 in light of the evidence of violations set forth in the CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Safety Division’s Investigation Report. In this Order, the CPUC directs PG&E to appear and show cause why the CPUC should not find that PG&E violated CPUC rules by not securing the required energy resources for March, April, and July 2010 at the time the filings were submitted.
CPUC Fines PG&E for 2008 Explosion in Rancho Cordova
The CPUC opened an investigation to evaluate charges of unlawful conduct levied against Pacific Gas and Electric Company by CPUC investigators concerning a December 24, 2008, PG&E natural gas pipeline explosion in Rancho Cordova, Calif. On Dec. 1, 2011, the CPUC fined PG&E $38 million.
The Commission approved a settlement agreement between Calpine PowerAmerica-CA, LLC (CPA) and the Consumer Protection and Safety Division regarding alleged CPA violations of system and local resource adequacy requirements in its 2007 year-ahead compliance filings. By the terms of the settlement, CPA agreed to pay a fine of $225,000.
The Commission approved a settlement agreement and granted a registration Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Cheap2Dial Telephone, LLC to provide services in California as a non-dominant interexchange carrier. Among other things, the settlement agreement requires Applicant to pay a fine of $10,000 to the General Fund and required surcharges, fees, and interest that it owed to the Commission, totaling $3,108.43, and to file any and all reports on a timely basis going forward.
The Commission’s Consumer Protection and Safety Division issued Citations E-4195-0004, E-4195-0005, and E-4195-0006 to Commerce Energy, Inc. (CE) on March 8, 2010, charging CE with failure to file month-ahead system resource adequacy compliance filings at the time or in the manner required for the months of October, November, and December 2009. The citations assessed penalties of $13,000, $18,000, and $2,500 for October, November, and December 2009, respectively. CE timely appealed the citations by notice of appeal dated April 7, 2010. Administrative Law Judge David Gamson heard the appeal at hearings on May 4 and May 12, 2010.
CE admitted to providing inaccurate information to either Energy Division or the California Energy Commission, or both, for each month in contravention of E-4195. The nature of the inaccuracies was disputed at hearings, but not the fact that there were inaccuracies. As all load-serving entities (such as CE) are aware, the Commission’s resource adequacy program requires timely and accurate information. Thus a citation was warranted for each month.
The Commission institutes an Investigation into the failure of TracFone Wireless, Inc. (TracFone) to pay public purpose surcharges and user fees on its intrastate telephone revenue. The Commission orders TracFone to show cause why it should not immediately be ordered to pay all such outstanding sums, and be subject to possible additional remedies and penalties for violation of California statutes and Commission rules which require collection and remittance of public purpose surcharges and user fees.
The Commission institutes an investigation to determine whether Americatel Corporation (Americatel) or its agents, have violated Public Utilities Code Section 2890 or any Commission rule, regulation, order, requirement or state law, by billing consumers for dial-around long distance monthly service without the consumers’ authorization and by applying incorrect rates on customers’ phone bills, resulting in overcharges of approximately $3.5 million in total. The Commission directs Americatel to show cause why it should not impose penalties and other sanctions as a result of the apparent violations in this case.
The Commission orders an investigation into the operations and practices of Constellation NewEnergy (CNE) to determine whether it violated Commission Resource Adequacy (RA) program rules, regulations, or orders in its November 26, 2008 Month-Ahead System Resource Adequacy Compliance Filing for January 2009. The Consumer Protection and Safety Division (CPSD) conducted an investigation into CNE’s compliance with its January 2009 RA Requirements (RAR). Based on its investigation, CPSD concluded that CNE failed to comply with its RAR procurement obligations and that a fine should be imposed.
The Commission orders an investigation into the operations of Legacy Long Distance (Legacy) to determine whether Respondent violated P.U. Code Section 2890(a) by allegedly placing unauthorized charges on consumers’ telephone bills in many different ways. Specifically, Legacy allegedly charged California consumers for non-existent, fraudulent and unauthorized calls such as:
- Calls that did not occur according to carriers’ switch records;
- Collect calls consumers assert they did not accept nor make;
- Unauthorized third-party charges;
- Collect calls that did not connect well, were inaudible, static, were disconnected or connected to wrong numbers;
- Collect calls Legacy connected to consumers’ answering machines.
See the Order
The Commission institutes an investigation into the practices of the following payphone service providers (PSPs) and their owners: Contractors Strategies Group, Inc., Intella II, Inc., A&M Communications, Limo Services, Inc., TNT Financial Services, CALNEV Communications, and 1st Capital Source Funding & Financial Services, Inc. (collectively, Respondents). During certain periods of time in the past seven or eight years, each Respondent owned, operated, or controlled payphones known as coinless customer-owned pay telephones (COPTs). Through the unlawful connection of automatic dialing-announcing devices (ADADs) to Respondents’ COPTs, Respondents generated revenue totaling over $156,000. Of that revenue, $103,193.64 is currently held in an escrow account by Respondents’ billing aggregator, G-Five, LLC (G-Five).
The Commission adopts the proposed Settlement Agreement (Settlement Agreement) and grants a registration Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Speedypin Prepaid, LLC to provide services in California as a non-dominant interexchange carrier. Among other things, the Settlement Agreement requires Applicant to pay a fine of $13,000 to the General Fund and to fully comply with all applicable regulatory and legal requirements in the future. This proceeding is closed.
The Commission adopts the proposed Settlement Agreement (Settlement Agreement) and grants a registration Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Talton Communications, Inc. to provide services in California as a non-dominant interexchange carrier. Among other things, the Settlement Agreement requires Applicant to pay a penalty of $11,000 to the General Fund and to file any and all reports on a timely basis going forward. This proceeding is closed.