Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) doesn't plan to restructure the capital's 911 call center after Office of Unified Communications Director Karima Holmes' resignation, Bowser said Tuesday. The mayor praised Holmes for leaving OUC “so much better than what she found.” Others including D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) Tiffani Nichole Johnson said the next director must overhaul the office, amid an audit and reports of 911 dispatchers sending responders to incorrect addresses and other problems.
Adam Bender
Adam Bender, Senior Editor, is the state and local telecommunications reporter for Communications Daily, where he also has covered Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. He has won awards for his Warren Communications News reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists, Specialized Information Publishers Association and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Bender studied print journalism at American University and is the author of dystopian science-fiction novels. You can follow Bender at WatchAdam.blog and @WatchAdam on Twitter.
It could be well into 2023 before the government faces Google in U.S. District Court in Washington. At a Friday telephonic hearing, Judge Amit Mehta set a Sept. 12, 2023, trial start date for DOJ and states’ antitrust lawsuit against Google. Mehta said he's “anxious” to get Thursday’s separate antitrust complaint against Google by 38 attorneys general (see 2012170063) on the same discovery schedule for efficiency. Google attorney John Schmidtlein agreed the new case should be assigned to Mehta and consolidated with the first case for discovery, but Google isn’t ready to take a position on whether trials should be combined. On states’ new case, Mehta asked Google to say by Jan. 8 if it will answer the complaint or file a motion to dismiss; the judge set a status hearing for Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. The parties proposed (in Pacer) a scheduling and case management order Dec. 11 and agreed (in Pacer) to a protective order last Monday. Google said (in Pacer) Thursday it doesn’t oppose California joining as a plaintiff in the DOJ case, which Michigan and Wisconsin on Thursday also asked to join. Texas and nine other states separately sued Google Wednesday at U.S. District Court in Sherman, Texas (see 2012160059).
Google got slapped Thursday with another antitrust lawsuit, this time from 35 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico (see 2012170037). As with states’ lawsuit against Facebook last week (see 2012100003), attorneys general from both parties in most states joined the complaint against Google, alleging the search firm violated Sherman Antitrust Act Section 2. Google said the AGs would harm search results at businesses’ cost.
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.
Fewer than two in 10 state utility regulators were people of color (POC) in 2020, while more than one in three were women, showed a Communications Daily analysis of National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC) data. More than half of the commissions or equivalent bodies had zero POC as members. Six had no women and four had none from either category.
Consumer groups supported industry’s call to narrow California's plan to revive and require the FCC voluntary Keep Americans Connected pledge. Cable had urged the California Public Utilities Commission limit a disconnections moratorium to customers facing economic hardships due to COVID-19 (see 2012100015). Narrowing the scope to affected customers is fine if it covers those facing financial impact or illness, replied the National Consumer Law Center and Center for Accessible Technology, emailed Monday to the service list for docket R.18-03-011. If denied, customers should have a simple way to appeal, the groups added. Wireless carriers balked at those groups’ suggestion to cover prepaid wireless. “Applying the moratorium to prepaid generally is impracticable, and in some regards impossible,” CTIA said. Commissioners vote Thursday.
Fewer than two in 10 state utility regulators were people of color (POC) in 2020, while more than one in three were women, showed a Communications Daily analysis of National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC) data. More than half of the commissions or equivalent bodies had zero POC as members. Six had no women and four had none from either category.
ISPs will pay $1 per pole annually for attaching to electric cooperative infrastructure in Georgia’s unserved areas over the next six years and nearly $30 in served areas, Georgia Public Service Commissioners agreed at a virtual meeting Tuesday. They voted 5-0 for a modified version of a dual-rate regime suggested by electric membership cooperatives setting how much EMCs may charge telecoms.
A deadlocked 2-2 FCC probably means “stalemate on local preemption issues,” said Spiegel McDiarmid local government lawyer Tim Lay on a NATOA webinar Monday: “The commission can’t do nearly as much preemptive damage to local government authority as the past commission has for the past four years.” Lay noted the chair could still exert some influence through staff decisions and the agency’s positions on litigation. A split commission is probably better for local governments than the 3-2 GOP body, agreed Kitch attorney Mike Watza -- unless industry treats the stalemate as no cop on the beat. Even in a 2-2 commission, the Democratic chair can change advisory committees’ charters and memberships, said National League of Cities Legislative Director Angelina Panettieri. With Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel likely to be chair at least on an interim basis, expect more emphasis on the homework gap, digital equity and consumer protection, Panettieri predicted: “One of the things that Biden folks have made clear is they really want to focus on equity.” That might mean closer looks at affordability and competition in urban and suburban areas, “and hopefully ... reversing preemption of municipal broadband.” Lay sees possible agreement on many spectrum issues and some broadband and mapping issues, but likely disagreement on any new requirements for providers.
Some lawmakers will seek passage of state net neutrality laws, even with President-elect Joe Biden in the White House next year. Federal rules are no sure thing, despite Biden’s support, Democratic state legislators who introduced bills in the past said in recent interviews. Other Democrats said they feel less pressure now.