The Utah Public Service Commission is seeking comments on Lumen’s petition for exemption from carrier of last resort requirements. Comments are due July 21, replies Aug. 7, the PSC said Thursday in docket 23-049-01. Lumen is seeking relief for new customers only (see 2306220032).
The Oregon Senate passed broadband and data broker bills. The state Senate voted 23-1 Thursday for HB-3201, which would require the Oregon Business Development Department to provide loans and grants for access, affordability and adoption. The House passed the bill March 30, but the Senate amended it May 19, so the House would have to vote again to concur. The state Senate also voted 23-1 for HB-2052 to regulate data brokers. Senators didn't amend the bill, so it goes next to Gov. Tina Kotek (D). Also Thursday, the legislature passed a comprehensive privacy bill (see 2306220059).
It would punish customers if the California Public Utilities Commission denies Verizon’s request for a one-year extension on its TracFone migration, Verizon wrote the CPUC Friday. "Hurting TracFone customers in this way would materially frustrate" the CPUC’s mission "to ensure California residents have safe and reliable service.” Verizon responded to a letter by Center for Accessible Technology (CforAT) and The Utility Reform Network (TURN) urging the commission not to waive penalties for Verizon failing to move more than 170,000 customers on non-Verizon networks in two years, as required by the CPUC’s 2021 merger approval (see 2306120037 and 2306080055). TURN and CforAT's argument "is premised on significant factual issues,” said Verizon: TracFone customers still on non-Verizon networks aren't about to lose service. "Verizon has already extended all relevant MVNO agreements so that California TracFone customers can continue to receive service over non-Verizon networks until well after the requested" Nov. 24, 2024, "migration deadline extension while Verizon continues to entice them to move to the Verizon network as part of the gradual and eventual migration resulting from this transaction,” said the carrier. Consumer advocates "apparently would prefer to force TracFone customers served on other networks to take action more quickly than that for no perceptible policy reason, other than to reflexively reject a request by Verizon." The FCC gave customers at least three years after closing to decide whether they wanted to migrate to Verizon, but the federal agency didn't impose a mandatory migration, noted Verizon.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission approved a settlement proposal in a pole attachments case involving Frontier Communications, the PSC said Thursday. Frontier, Monongahela Power and Potomac Edison (Mon Power), Citynet, Micrologic and West Virginia PSC staff filed a joint stipulation on the pact June 9 (see 2306120038). The agreement responded to commission scrutiny about duplicative processes slowing pole-attachment application reviews. The order names MP/PE as the main point of contact to streamline the review process for attachments involving jointly owned communication line poles, the PSC said. Telecom carriers are currently applying for pole attachments amid “massive” broadband deployment, the agency noted. Under the approved pact, MP/PE will issue or deny permits, charge fees, perform billing and distribute payments and do required engineering work, said the PSC: The utility and Frontier will both invoice applicants for make-ready work. “While the Commission hoped that the parties would agree to a process for ‘one stop shopping’ with MP/PE as the only pole owner involved in the process, the parties have agreed that Frontier must be responsible for make-ready in the telecommunications space,” said the order in case 22-0885-T-E-SC.
New York state updated broadband coverage data for a second map and report on broadband coverage, the New York Public Service Commission said Thursday. The PSC found 97.5% of the state is served with high-speed internet. Last year's report said 97.4% was served (see 2206160059). The commission worked with 73 ISPs, surveyed consumers, collected feedback through the online map and conducted field inspections of more than 50,000 addresses. “The map and accompanying report are crucial in identifying areas that lack broadband access,” said Chair Rory Christian. “This data will continue to be a central resource for the efficient deployment of State and federal funding.”
Lumen wants to shed carrier of last resort (COLR) duties in Utah, in whole or at least in part, it said in a Wednesday petition at the Utah Public Service Commission (docket 23-049-01). Lumen isn't seeking relief from discontinuance rules to end services for existing customers, it said. "Rather, on a forward-looking basis, this petition seeks relief from the obligation to provide voice service to every new customer location regardless of the cost of service." Utah doesn't provide high-cost support to Lumen and the federal government stopped giving it federal USF support last year, the carrier noted. "With no supportive funding for the COLR obligations in CenturyLink’s service territory, either from the federal government or the State of Utah, the company should not be obligated to be a COLR.” If the PSC wants to keep COLR obligations in certain locations, it should let Lumen collect state USF support for those places, it said. Effective competition exists throughout the company's territory, claimed Lumen: Competitors can “provide functionally equivalent or suitable services.”
Approving an AT&T application to relinquish its eligible telecom carrier designation won’t affect the carrier’s California LifeLine customers if the FCC ends federal Lifeline support for voice-only service, AT&T said Wednesday. The carrier responded to a concern raised by The Utility Reform Network at the California Public Utilities Commission in docket A.23-03-002.
Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed an Arizona social media bill that would prohibit websites from deplatforming candidates and require them to publish and follow standards for censoring users. “This bill does not attempt to solve any of the real problems social media platforms create,” Hobbs wrote in a veto letter Tuesday. The legislature passed SB-1106 last week (see 2306150064).
Oregon’s comprehensive privacy bill passed the legislature Thursday. The House voted 54-0, with six members excused, on SB-619. The Senate passed it Tuesday (see 2306210039). The bill initially included a private right of action, but a Senate panel removed it in April, leaving the attorney general as the proposed law’s sole enforcer. The bill still needs approval from Gov. Tina Kotek (D). Oregon could be the first blue state to enact a privacy law in 2023. Republican governors signed comprehensive bills this year in Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, Florida and Texas. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia passed privacy bills in previous years. “Consumers should have a say over how their personal data is used and companies shouldn’t be able to use that data to target and exploit them," said SB-619 sponsor Rep. Paul Holvey (D) in a statement. He said the state bill "will make sure Oregonians are protected and in control of their personal data.”
The California Public Utilities Commission is seeking comments on a staff proposal to establish a broadband loan loss reserve fund, said a Wednesday order by Commissioner Darcie Houck. The fund is required by state law to support broadband deployment costs by local governments and nonprofits. “Eligible broadband projects … should be designed to reliably offer, upon completion, symmetrical speeds at or above 100 Mbps download and upload,” said proposed eligibility criteria in the staff plan. If there are engineering limitations, 100/20 Mbps may be considered, it said. Also, staff recommends providers have open-access middle-mile infrastructure requirements and offer a low-income broadband plan through the affordable connectivity program or a successor program identified by the CPUC, it said. Comments are due July 10, replies July 20 (docket R.20-08-021).