While coverage on tribal lands has improved over the past few years, native American leaders are still frustrated and confused by telcos' lack of willingness to help bring service to their people, some said during a panel at NARUC’s meeting in Washington. Because wireless companies don’t always make it easy for the tribes to build out new service, many times the tribes become their own communications companies, said CEO Forest James of tribal communications firm EnerTribe and a member of the Smith River Tribe. American Indian Chamber of Commerce California President Tracy Stanhoff said it doesn’t make sense to her that telcos don’t want to partner with tribes given that tribes that put in their own infrastructure and start a service, immediately get customers. Sidney Dietz, Pacific Gas & Electric regulatory relations director, said PG&E's Lifeline product has good adoption rates, has built its own towers to improve service and is starting to build out more broadband so tribal members can keep up with current technologies.
The Richmond, California, police department is now accepting text to 911 as a part of the switch to Next-Generation 911, a spokeswoman said. The department provides fire and emergency medical service and dispatches police services for the cities of Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and Kensington, she said. The department uses a Web-based program through TeleCommunication Systems to accept the text messages and has received at least a dozen texts -- reporting gunshots and less serious crimes -- since the program went live at the end of January, the spokeswoman said. "We thought that being able to text 911 was important for the hearing/speech impaired community, this gives them a way to contact us directly without using a third party," she said in an email. "It allows those that would be in danger by placing a 911 voice call a way to contact emergency services."
The FCC should reaffirm that incumbent LECs have an obligation to provide unbundled DS1 and DS3 capacity loops to requesting competitive carriers regardless of the physical medium or transmission protocol the incumbent uses in its network, said the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission in an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 15-1. In Washington, competitive LECs compete directly with ILECs, so the continued availability of both the DS1 and DS3 loops is a matter of public interest within the state, the WUTC said. "The UTC is concerned that continued ambiguity over CLEC access to unbundled network elements, potentially exacerbated by technology transitions, may lead to higher prices and less choice for Washington consumers."
Four companies accused of having a role in posting fraudulent online reviews and endorsements settled with the New York attorney general's office and will pay penalties ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, said state AG Eric Schneiderman Thursday in a press release. “Consumers rely on reviews and other endorsements on the Internet to inform themselves in making daily purchasing decisions,” he said in the release. The office's separate investigations into what he called "astroturfing over the Internet" tells companies "consumers deserve honesty and transparency in their reviews, endorsements and related content,” he said. The settlements require companies to be honest and transparent in such reviews. The companies that settled are: California-based online entertainment network Machinima, which will pay a $50,000 fine; cosmetic and beauty supply chain Premier Retail Group, with locations around the country, paying $50,000, of which $30,000 is suspended assuming compliance with the settlement agreement; California-based Internet marketing company Here2Four, which will pay $15,000; and New York-based Rani Spa, which will pay $50,000, of which $48,000 is suspended assuming compliance with the agreement.
The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable plans a telephonic case status conference about inmate calling, at 2 p.m. Feb. 29, an MDTC notice said. The call will discuss the effect the FCC's inmate calling order has on the scope of the Massachusetts proceeding, MDTC said.
Sixteen percent of broadband homes in Texas own a smart energy device -- such as a thermostat, light bulb, power strip, outlet or plug/adapter -- compared with 12 percent of all U.S. broadband homes, a report by Parks Associates said. “Texans are slightly ahead of the curve when it comes to buying smart energy devices,” Parks Associates President Stuart Sikes said. “Texas companies including Austin Energy and Reliant have been strong leaders in driving consumer awareness of energy programs and products -- 36 percent of Texas broadband households are familiar with energy monitoring and management products, compared to 28 percent nationwide.” In the past year, 12 percent of Texas broadband households bought or received a smart energy device, while nationwide, 9 percent of broadband households bought such a device in the same period.
A new iOS app can track when a user will have mobile service in the New York City subway system -- mapping available reception along all 21 lines, 469 stations and 660 miles of track, said the app's description on its website. New York City is working on connecting all lines to Wi-Fi (see 1509090020), and the app's creators say the program is a stopgap measure that can assist riders until the subway is fully connected.
Removing the states' abilities to designate eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) could have negative effects, the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) said in an ex parte filing Monday to FCC docket 11-42. Among its main concerns, the PSC is worried about waste, fraud and abuse increasing if the states aren't allowed to maintain their authority, the letter said. In Michigan particularly, state oversight provides an "efficient means" for companies seeking high-cost support or Lifeline reimbursement, the PSC said. States such as Michigan have more familiarity with the geographic areas and marketplace in which the ETCs are applying for designation, so states’ experience and knowledge in these areas help to fight waste, fraud and abuse, save the FCC time and resources, and help preserve universal service funds, the letter said.
North Carolina launched a new website for the Broadband Infrastructure Office, which aims to expand access to high-speed Internet services for underserved areas in the state, said the site from the state Department of Information Technology's Broadband Infrastructure Office. The office's goals include creating the "nation’s first giga-state by 2020," expanding broadband access to underserved communities and supporting digital learning by extending Wi-Fi access to every classroom in the state, the site said.
Residents of the West Bluff public housing property in Kansas signed up for Google Fiber last week, making it the first of a number of fiber city locations where the company intends to offer free gigabit Internet, said a Friday Google Fiber blog post. Because about one-third of Americans still don’t have home broadband, Google is working on programs such as the Digital Inclusion Fellowship and the Kansas City Digital Inclusion Fund to help bridge the digital divide, the company said. "We know there is no one-size-fits-all solution to closing America’s digital divide, so we’ll continue to tailor our work at the local level to address the unique needs of each community," Google said. "More people should have access to fast Internet. This year, we're exploring new ways to make that happen." In addition to bringing free gigabit Internet to select public housing, Google said it will be introducing in some cities a low-cost broadband connection that’s fast enough to make video calls and stream HD content.