The Public Utilities Commission controls and regulates the use of automatic dialing-announcing devices, which are any automatic equipment that incorporates a storage capability of telephone numbers to be called or a random or sequential number generator capable of producing numbers to be called and the capability, working alone or in conjunction with other equipment, to disseminate a prerecorded message to the telephone number called.
The Public Utilities Commission generally prohibits any use of automatic dialing-announcing devices in California that would result in a call being received between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. PST by a telephone located in the state, except in certain limited circumstances. Under prior law, one such circumstance included a school contacting parents or guardians of pupils regarding attendance through an automatic dialing-announcing device.
Assembly Bill 2906 (AB 2906) expands this exemption to also permit schools to use automatic dialing-announcing devices to place calls between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. PST to contact parents or guardians of pupils regarding the health or safety of pupils.
AB 2906 takes effect on January 1, 2023.
(AB 2906 amends Section 2872 of the Public Utilities Code.)