Telecom Required to Keep Californians Connected Amid Pandemic
California will extend the FCC’s expired pandemic connectivity pledge for 90 days, California Public Utilities Commissioners agreed unanimously at their livestreamed meeting Thursday. The nonvoluntary moratorium on disconnections and late fees amid COVID-19 will cover traditional landline, facilities-based VoIP and wireless providers. Commissioners also voted 5-0 to make public much of a 2019 service quality report on AT&T and Frontier Communications.
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Industry raised legal concerns about a state mandating the FCC Keep Americans Connected pledge. Consumer groups supported it (see 2012150038 and 2012100015). The CPUC added a 90-day expiration after some balked at no end date.
“While we continue to dispute the California PUC’s jurisdiction over VoIP providers,” the Voice on the Net Coalition “understands that these are unusual times and expects that our members will continue to ... assist their customers who may need additional support,” emailed counsel Glenn Richards. AT&T will help "keep Californians connected during these extraordinary times," a spokesperson said. USTelecom and CTIA didn’t comment.
The previously private network study showed limited investment by AT&T and Frontier 2010-18 and not enough network resiliency to deal with environmental conditions, with problems worst in low-income communities and places with the least competition, Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen said. “We know these problems are continuing.” The 584-page document will “help inform ongoing discussions,” he said. It will inform other proceedings, said Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves. "This type of sunshining ... is going to allow customers to know who is the better provider [and] where investments are."
Frontier and AT&T were concerned about the CPUC releasing proprietary information (see 2010200007). Rechtschaffen said the commission addressed some concerns. The carriers didn’t comment now.
Commissioners unanimously agreed to a proposed $3.2 million fine for AT&T for substandard service quality in 2019. The company failed to meet state metrics for out-of-service repair interval in all 12 months and answer time in nine months, said the draft resolution. As allowed by rules, AT&T proposed Feb. 18 investing twice as much in network upgrades. Agency staff raised concerns that the carrier didn’t discuss specific projects, so on Nov. 12, AT&T said it would just pay the fine.
Members voted 5-0 to extend until March 19 the deadline for a probe into Frontier’s 2016 troubled transition after buying Verizon assets. Adopting that item was necessary because the CPUC postponed voting Thursday on a proposed decision to OK a draft settlement at staff's request. Three months is “hopefully way more than we will need,” said Commissioner Liane Randolph. Frontier would pay $400,000 to the California general fund and invest $2.1 million over the next three years. Consumer complaints about Frontier California surged in 2016 but came down subsequently, we reported.