California Life Line Programs Pilot Projects Caleb Jones

California Life. Line Program’s Pilot Projects Caleb Jones, Regulatory Analyst California Life. Line Team and Boost Mobile September 16, 2019 www. hellosavings. org https: //www. cpuc. ca. gov/lifeline/ 1

Background • California Life. Line is a state program providing discounted home phone and cell phone services to eligible households • California Life. Line Program is partnering with government agencies, private corporations, and non-profit organizations to develop innovative strategies for the California Life. Line Program • Exploring various approaches for: agencies 1) informing consumers about California Life. Line 2) increasing California Life. Line participation 3) increasing stakeholder involvement 4) establishing coordination and collaboration efforts w/ state and local government 5) improving the consumer’s experience 6) streamlining the process to receive the discounts • Finding and using other ways to administer the California Life. Line Program 2

Boost Mobile Pilot Program • The Commission approved Decision 19 -04 -021 in April of 2019, authorizing the Boost Mobile Pilot. • CPUC determines the eligibility criteria for a consumer to join the pilot in coordination with Project Members, who are determined by CPUC. • California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) launched in July; i. Foster will launch next. • Each Project Member has up to 2 years to participate in the Boost Pilot. • There is a participation limit of 350, 000 pilot participants at any point in time, across all active Project Members • Pilot participants can only participate through one Project Member at a time and must be at least 13 years of age or older. 3

Boost Mobile / CARE Pilot Overview (from Consumer’s Perspective) Learn about the pilot and receive promotion code (Awareness) Receive the California Life. Line discounts ($15/month) for duration of Pilot Program (Receiving Discounts) Activate Boost Mobile service and redeem promotion code (Activation) Take a photo or copy of energy bill showing the CARE discount, and then give the photo/copy to CPUC or to CSU Fresno (Confirmation) 4

Awareness (CPUC sends postcards to all CARE-enrolled households) Postcard (Front) Postcard (Back) More Information Online at: www. hellosavings. org https: //www. cpuc. ca. gov/lifeline/ 5

Awareness (Boost Mobile and CSU Fresno conduct additional outreach) Outreach from Boost: Outreach from CSU Fresno (OCED): • Making outbound calls • Sending outbound text messages • Receiving incoming calls • Responding to inbound text messages More Information Online at: https: //www. boostmobile. com/plans/cpuc-boost-mobile https: //www. boostmobile. com/support/faq/plans-services/unlimited-plans. html Information also available in-person at outreach events and in Boost Mobile stores 6

Activation • • Consumer brings the postcard to a Boost Mobile store to redeem the promo code; Boost Mobile employees are trained on how to enter consumers’ name, address, and promo code for them, to ensure it is in a format the CPUC can approve If necessary, consumers can: – check the store locations at https: //www. boostmobile. com/stores. html? intnav=Util. Nav: Finda. Store. Then click “filter by locations that offer” and select ‘smart pay’. – check service coverage at https: //www. boostmobile. com/coveragemap. html? INTNAV=Util. Nav: Coverage. Map • Notes: – Although Boost’s employees can enter new consumers’ name and address for them, to ensure they receive discounts, existing Boost consumers may have to update their Boost Mobile account information so that it matches name and address on the postcard. – Consumer pays retail price for the first month, but receives discounted service starting the following month 7

Confirmation • California Life. Line Program via CSU Fresno (or CPUC staff) checks against CARE Program participant list and ensures Boost Mobile account information are consistent • Consumer takes a photo or makes a copy of energy bill showing the CARE discount • California Life. Line Program via CSU Fresno (or CPUC staff) asks for the photo or copy of the energy bill showing the CARE discount • CSU Fresno checks eligibility for all of the consumers in the consumer list that the CPUC provides, but CPUC staff may also perform this function • CSU Fresno (and CPUC staff) retains all of the documentation that the consumer provides 8

Receiving Discounts • Consumer receives monthly $15 discount as an account credit on the account balance after the California Life. Line Program via CSU Fresno confirms the consumer’s participation in the CARE Program • There may still be some instances when CPUC staff confirms the consumer’s participation in the CARE Program • CPUC staff still has to compare CSU Fresno’s list with the list maintained by CPUC staff of pilot participants from other Boost Mobile Project Members • It may take 1 -2 weeks to see the discount on the account after validation of all requirements. Consumer is still responsible for the full retail price of the service plan until the discount is credited on the account. 9

Boost Mobile / i. Foster Pilot Overview • • California Life. Line Program, Boost Mobile, and i. Foster are collaborating to enable California’s foster youth to receive monthly cell phone service at no cost. Boost Mobile provides phones and service at below-market prices, and back-end support to align their services with the privacy and legal requirements of working with foster youth. i. Foster, a non-profit with offices in Truckee, Sacramento, and Los Angeles, performs role of program administrator. Their responsibilities include determining youths’ eligibility for the program, enrolling youth in the program, distributing phones, and providing digital literacy training, all while maintaining the privacy of the youths. California Life. Line Program provides financial support of up to $70 per youth towards the costs of phones, and $25 towards monthly service, as well as the operational costs incurred by i. Foster. 10

Further i. Foster Pilot Details • • • Applicable Boost Mobile cell phone plan = unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 3 GB high speed data Although the particular model of phone is not yet determined, Boost Mobile will be providing smart phones in bulk to i. Foster, at a price that fits within the $70/youth budget. Foster youth can opt to bring their own device, provided the device is compatible with the network used by Boost Mobile (new SIM card is required and will need more assistance from i. Foster) Potentially up to 33, 000 foster youth can participate in the pilot Minimum age for pilot participant = 13 years old (with court/county approval) Status = Launching soon 11

Pending Pilot Program Proposals • Pending 3 proposals – Greenlining Institute and CGM, LLC • Online enrollment – Tru. Connect Communications, Inc. • Allows referral partners (physicians, government assistance organizations, and community-based organizations) to determine a patient’s eligibility for California Life. Line using Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance documents. – Central City Single Room Occupancy Collaborative • Proposes to train resident leaders who will inform low-income single room occupancy residents of the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods of San Francisco. • • Hosting October 16 -17, 2019 workshop in Courtyard Room @ CPUC Headquarters Stakeholders can ask questions and receive responses from proposers 12

Appendix A: Boost Mobile Plans 13

Appendix B: Boost Mobile / CARE by the Numbers • • • 249 CARE Program participants have attempted to join the pilot 228 CARE Program participants approved to join the pilot 21 CARE Program participants denied participation in the pilot 4 consumers residing in upcoming counties for postcard distribution attempted to participate in the pilot 34 Consumers contacting by category Ø Ø • • • CPUC-initiated contacts for near-misses: 24 Requests for promo code: 5 (4 are from counties that have not launched yet) Consumer feedback: 2 General questions: 3 less than 1/3 of CARE households were existing California Life. Line participants Sent about 400, 000 postcards to Sonoma, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, Orange, and Riverside counties Launch Date of Boost = June 21 14

Appendix C: Boost Mobile and CARE Details • $15 monthly discount for any Boost Mobile retail service plan, distributed via single-use, non-transferable promotion codes to CARE households • Once the consumer redeems the promotion code and the California Life. Line Program confirms the consumer’s eligibility, the discount will remain intact for the duration of the pilot program • Boost Mobile is participating voluntarily, and CPUC is not paying Boost Mobile’s operational expenses for the pilot • Boost Mobile is offering its retail service plans, including family plans, to pilot participants • CARE Participants eligibility for discounts will last until July 21, 2021 • Postcards are being distributed county-by-county, through 4 phases – so far, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Orange, and Riverside have received postcards 15

Appendix D: Other Partners Supporting Boost / CARE Pilot • CSU Fresno Office of Community and Economic Development – Provide outreach services about the California Life. Line Program and the CPUC & Boost Mobile Pilot Program via the call center – Determine who is eligible for the promotion codes – Disseminate promotion codes – Answer questions from the public – Handle issues with consumers receiving promotion codes – Remove consumers from the pilot – Acquire photos or copies of energy utility bills showing the CARE Program discounts from consumers • Office of State Publishing – Coordinates with CPUC analysts on merging CPUC’s files of names, addresses, and promo codes with the postcard templates – Prints, presorts, and mails postcards to CARE households 16