(

a) The commission shall develop, implement, and administer a program to advance universal service by providing discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations, consistent with

Chapter of the Statutes of 1994. (

b) There is hereby created the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee, which is an advisory board to advise the commission regarding the development, implementation, and administration of a program to advance universal service by providing discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations, consistent with

Chapter of the Statutes of 1994, and to carry out the program pursuant to the commission’s direction, control, and approval. (

c) All revenues collected by telephone corporations in rates authorized by the commission to fund the program specified in subdivision (

a) shall be submitted to the commission pursuant to a

schedule established by the commission. The commission shall transfer the moneys received to the Controller for deposit in the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund. All interest earned by moneys in the fund shall be deposited in the fund. (

d) Except as provided in subdivisions (

e) and (g), moneys appropriated from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund to the commission shall be utilized exclusively by the commission for the program specified in subdivision (a), including all costs of the board and the commission associated with the administration and oversight of the program and the fund. (

e) Moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of are subject to

Section of the Government Code. If the commission determines a need for moneys in the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund, the commission shall notify the Director of Finance of the need, as specified in

Section of the Government Code. The commission may not increase the rates authorized by the commission to fund the program specified in subdivision (

b) while moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of are outstanding unless both of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The Director of Finance, after making a determination pursuant to subdivision (

b) of

Section of the Government Code, does not order repayment of all or a portion of any loan from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund within days of notification by the commission of the need for the moneys.

(2) The commission notifies the Director of Finance and the Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in writing that it intends to increase the rates authorized by the commission to fund the program specified in subdivision (a). The notification required pursuant to this paragraph shall be made days in advance of the intended rate increase. (

f) Subdivision (

e) shall become inoperative upon full repayment or discharge of all moneys loaned from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund in the Budget Act of 2003. (g)

(1) Consistent with Decision 11-09-016 (September 8, 2011) Decision Granting Authority to Provide Emergency Access to Services in Counties and Localities Without Existing Centers and to Appoint a Lead Entity, if it determines that doing so is an appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, the commission may expend up to one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund for one-time costs to help close 2-1-1 service gaps in counties lacking access to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information and referral services, where technically feasible, through available 2-1-1 service.

As the lead agency appointed by the commission in Decision 11-09-016, 2-1-1 California may apply to the commission for use of the funds in the counties that lack 2-1-1 service. If the commission determines that doing so is an appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, these costs may include local implementation of a coordinated database that is owned by a city or county to provide referrals to help with nonemergency aspects of disaster planning, recovery, and response.

(2) This subdivision shall become inoperative on January 1, 2023.