California Body Has New Recommendations for Wireless Companies
Cal Advocates proposes several recommendations, notably aiming to prevent AI answering agents
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2026 – A California advisory group is calling for closer oversight of wireless carriers.
On Oct. 15, Ernesto Falcon, Program Manager for the Communications and Broadband Policy Branch in the Public Advocates Office, released commentary on current wireless service proposals.
In the ongoing Feb. 2026 wireless service quality proceeding, Cal Advocates, which is a unit of The California Public Utilities Commission proposed four recommendations that wireless companies should be required to put in action.
Falcon’s group asked that companies restore service to isolated communities within 24 hours after an outage; ensure networks in rural communities are available 99 percent of the time, answer 80 percent of customer service calls with a live representative within 60 seconds, and publish comprehensive maps that show where a customer can reliably place a voice call.
As most Californians rely on wireless voice service for everyday needs, Falcon seems to want to keep AI answering agents out of the system. With 81 percent of California’s 911 calls coming from wireless devices reliable, human service is even more crucial in emergencies.
“I live in Topanga Canyon, a Tier 3 High Fire Threat District. Wireless coverage here is poor on a normal day… I support applying service quality standards to wireless carriers, especially for outages and restoration,” local California resident said in the proceeding’s public comments.
Cal Advocates additionally submitted a proposal on Oct. 19th reiterating the need for wireless companies to make more detailed coverage maps available to customers.
“If companies already know where service is expected to work, customers deserve to know too,” the Cal Advocates office argued.
As of now, no decision has been made by the CPUC and there has been no final determination date.
