State regulation of interstate broadband rates is unlawful, said ISP groups in a Wednesday brief at the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in case 21-1975. The court should affirm a lower court’s rejection of New York’s law requiring $15 monthly plans (see 2107230044), said CTIA, NTCA, USTelecom, ACA Connects, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association and the New York State Telecommunications Association. New York’s law conflicts with the FCC’s 2018 net neutrality order and “intrudes on an exclusively federal field,” said the industry groups: Multiple federal programs and voluntary industry services give New Yorkers many affordable broadband options.
Commenters on the Universal Service Fund generally agreed its funding system is unsustainable and in need of changes but disagreed on the solution, in comments posted Friday in docket 21-476 (see 2112220051) as the FCC prepares its report to Congress on the future of USF.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) issued subpoenas to USTelecom and ThinQ Technologies in an investigation into scammers using robocalls to pretend to sell AT&T DirecTV services, Nessel’s office said Thursday. Judge Joyce Draganchuk of Michigan’s Ingham County Circuit Court authorized the AG to issue subpoenas based on an ex parte petition describing about 500,000 spoofed calls coming into the state monthly. With the subpoenas, the AG seeks to learn the identity of the callers and VoIP or voice service providers involved in the scam, including contractual and financial arrangements and detailed call records, the petition said. The petition said there's probable cause to say ThinQ, of Raleigh, was one originating VoIP provider that brought the calls into the country. USTelecom and ThinQ didn’t comment.
Session initiation protocol 603 is “the best and most pragmatic solution to provide callers with actionable information,” said USTelecom in reply comments to the FCC’s Further NPRM on call blocking notifications Tuesday in docket 17-59 (see 2202010031). SIP code 603 is a "pragmatic and effective means of providing immediate notification," said AT&T, and SIP code 607 is "unnecessary." Verizon backed mandating 603 “when terminating service block calls based on analytics.” Efforts to improve redress processes “should continue to be left to the industry stakeholders to address,” said Transaction Network Services, saying 603 “provides sufficiently actionable information.” The Voice on the Net Coalition, Incompas and Cloud Communications Alliance disagreed, saying “failure to implement SIP codes 607 and 608 will result in legitimate calls being blocked and in onerous redress processes.” The groups backed phasing out the use of 603. SIP code 603’s “lack of specific, actionable information makes it an unsustainable long-term option,” said TCN. “Additional standards body work could clarify questions raised and resolve technical issues that remain” for all three codes, said NTCA.
Rescind recent guidance that "expresses a clear preference for networks built by municipalities, non-profits and electric co-ops," said USTelecom in a letter to federal, state, local, and tribal leaders Thursday on the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. The Treasury Department and USDA's rules favoring these entities are "concerning" given their "well-documented propensity to fail at building and maintaining complex networks over time." Funding decisions "should be based solely on how best to connect unserved and underserved" areas, USTelecom said, "not on a provider's status as a public or private entity." States should also "think holistically" about their broadband plans and use the FCC's forthcoming maps "to ensure deployment funds go to their intended use," it said. Don't regulate broadband as a Title II utility, the group said, saying net neutrality and consumer privacy laws should "apply equitably across the internet ecosystem."
ISP associations challenging California’s net neutrality law will seek rehearing en banc at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said a Thursday stipulation by California and ACA Connects, CTIA, NCTA and USTelecom at the U.S. District Court for Eastern California. The parties agreed discovery at the lower court (case 2:18-cv-02684) should be stayed until the 9th Circuit rules on the rehearing petition. The appeals court last month upheld California’s law (see 2201280035).
The Senate Commerce Committee’s Wednesday follow-up confirmation hearing on Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn changed next to nothing about the dynamics driving her prospects for winning the chamber’s approval, said lawmakers and communications policy observers in interviews. Committee Democrats, even those who were latecomers to supporting Sohn, said during and after the hearing they still back her. Panel Republicans remained steadfastly opposed to the nominee, in part citing what they viewed as her still-insufficient candor about her role as a board member for Locast operator Sports Fans Coalition and her January commitment to temporarily recuse herself from some FCC proceedings involving retransmission consent and broadcast copyright matters.
USTelecom announces Executive Vice President Allison Remsen is now also the association’s first chief strategy officer … Michigan Public Service Commission moves Shatina Jones to equity and inclusion officer, new post.
State and local governments sought close coordination as billions of broadband dollars come from the federal infrastructure law, in comments we received. Comments were due Friday on NTIA’s request for comments on implementing broadband programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Industry groups sought NTIA assurance the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) and middle mile programs would be technologically neutral. Advocacy groups wanted maximum stakeholder participation and a focus on equitable deployment.
Lumos/NorthState adds from USTelecom Mike Saperstein as head-government affairs and general counsel; Nora Mitchell from Segra becomes corporate controller; Saperstein succeeds Mary McDermott, who retires ... NTIA names Common Sense Media Washington Director April McClain-Delaney deputy assistant secretary, Commerce-communications and information; and former Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke as special representative for broadband.