SACRAMENTO – The California Communications Association (CalCom) has named state Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) as the first recipient of CalCom’s annual Legislator of the Year Award.

Wiggins, who represents the state’s 2nd Senate District, was recognized for her authorship of two telecommunications bills that were signed into law this year: SB 1149, extending the Rural Telecommunications Infrastructure Grant Program, which provides grants for the development and improvement of telecommunication services in rural communities; and SB 780, extending California’s High-Cost Funds A and B, which are utilized by companies that provide telecommunications in high-cost-of-services areas and communities.

The 2nd Senate District is comprised of portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

Both of the bills authored by Wiggins impact residents of those counties – SB 1149, because it allows phone lines and cellular providers to receive grants and build infrastructure in rural and high-cost areas, and SB 780, because nearly the entire 2nd Senate District receives subsidies by ratepayers enabling telecommunications companies to provide affordable phone services.

“Telecommunications providers rely on subsidies paid by all ratepayers to continue providing basic phone service to rural areas of my district and elsewhere in California,” Wiggins said after receiving her award. “Had we not been able to extend the high-cost funds, rural residents across the state would have been with astronomically-high phone bills.”

SB 1149 extends the Rural Telecommunications Infrastructure Grant Program to January 2013. SB 780 extends the California High-Cost Fund A & B to 2012, and 2013, respectively. The latter bill also requires the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to report to the Legislature on the affordability of basic phone services in rural areas of the state that are subsidized by the B-Fund by July 1, 2010. Wiggins said the purpose of the report is “to ensure that residents in such areas have access to reliable and affordable telephone service.”

CalCom is a statewide trade association, representing 21 companies (including AT&T, Surewest and Verizon, along smaller telephone companies such as Foresthill and Sierra) that provide telecommunications services to nearly every corner of California. The association was founded in 1917.

Today’s CalCom members range from small high-tech, high-investment communications companies bringing reliable, high-quality service to the most rural and remote areas of the state, to medium and large providers serving diverse rural, urban and suburban markets. Together, CalCom members employ over 61,000 Californians.

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