California state senators pushed back on two digital equity bills Tuesday. Multiple Communications Committee members during a livestreamed hearing raised concerns about the Assembly-passed AB-2239, which would ban digital discrimination as the FCC defines it. Also, the committee scaled back the Assembly-approved AB-1588, which had proposed to update the California LifeLine subsidy program to support broadband for low-income households. The committee directed the LifeLine bill’s sponsor to find a compromise with industry opponents and other stakeholders over the summer recess that runs from July 3 to Aug. 5.
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The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday denied AT&T relief from carrier of last resort obligations, while opening a rulemaking to take a fresh look at COLR rules. Also at its meeting, the CPUC approved broadband grants, acted on enforcement items and set annual budgets for the California Advanced Service Fund (CASF) and state video franchise law.
AT&T raised legal and constitutional concerns as it protested a California Public Utilities Commission proposed decision that denies it relief of carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations. But in other comments the agency received Thursday, some local representatives strongly supported the plan to dismiss AT&T’s application. “Upholding this decision is vital to ensure residents across California … continue to have access to basic telephone service,” said San Mateo County in docket R.23-03-003.
The annual cost of maintaining AT&T’s copper network is more than $3 billion, not the $10 billion figure that Chris Sambar, executive vice president-technology operations and head of network, mentioned Tuesday (see 2405210059), an AT&T spokesperson wrote in an email Wednesday.
AT&T needs freedom to address its copper network, including parts that are more than 100 years old, but regulation requires that the network keep operating, Chris Sambar, executive vice president-technology operations and head of network, said Tuesday during an AT&T Policy Forum. Sambar said he plans meetings at the FCC this week when he will discuss the cost for AT&T and other carriers of keeping copper lines operating.
Frontier Communications performs well on “important” service-quality metrics, the carrier said Friday in responding to an investigation by Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). The Frontier probe began earlier this year in response to a Jan. 8 petition by Connecticut's Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), which flagged Frontier for failing to meet minimum standards for out-of-service repair and maintenance (see 2401310006 and 2401080041). In OCC’s Friday brief, the consumer advocate urged PURA to impose additional and broader service-quality standards and open another proceeding for considering monetary penalties.
California might deny AT&T's application for carrier-of-last-resort (COLR) relief. The state's Public Utilities Commission will vote during its June 20 meeting on a proposed decision dismissing the carrier’s application in docket R.23-03-003. Comments are due May 30. Also, the CPUC said it plans to open a rulemaking on possibly revising COLR rules. The state commission’s withdrawal rules require another existing COLR or a replacement in the area where a company is leaving, CPUC Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola said in the proposal. “No other COLR serves AT&T’s service territory. No potential COLR applied to replace AT&T.” The commission delayed the proceeding so it could find possible replacements (see 2403120052). The CPUC received more than 5,000 public comments about the AT&T application and more than 5,800 people attended eight public forums around the state, said a CPUC news release. Many raised concerns that wireless and VoIP were unreliable, the agency said. “Despite AT&T’s contention that providers of voice alternatives to landline service -- such as VoIP or mobile wireless services -- can fill the gap,” the CPUC’s tentative decision finds that the carrier “failed to demonstrate the availability of replacement providers willing and able to serve as COLR, nor did AT&T prove that alternative providers met the COLR definition,” the CPUC said. The COLR rules don’t stop AT&T from retiring copper or investing in fiber, the agency added. AT&T is disappointed because “we’d hoped the commission would allow us the opportunity to demonstrate why the number of options for voice service available to customers make the COLR obligation unnecessary,” a company spokesperson said. “Not surprisingly, no providers were interested in bidding on a service with a declining number of customers given the competitive options available in today’s marketplace.” AT&T looks forward to participating in future CPUC evidentiary hearings on COLR rules, the spokesperson added.
AT&T’s California application for relief of carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations attracted interest from Congress last week. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., raised concerns about the request in a Wednesday letter to California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds. Schiff wrote "the withdrawal of AT&T landlines will not only harm consumer choice but also pose safety issues in California.” In fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters, “our landlines become the most dependable form of communication,” he added. “While wireless connection is unreliable and cell phones can run out of battery, copper landlines have stronger receptions during power outages.” Schiff cited Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) data that more than 580,000 affected AT&T customers would be left with few options. “AT&T’s proposed withdrawal would harm rural residents disproportionately and the CPUC should weigh this factor heavily in its review of their application to end their COLR obligation,” Schiff wrote. Others from Capitol Hill could weigh in on the CPUC proceeding (docket A.23-03-003). RCRC saw “a lot of interest in this subject” when its delegation visited congressional offices earlier this month, Senior Legislative Advocate Tracy Rhine told us Thursday. Yet an AT&T spokesperson said Friday it will not leave customers behind, though millions have already moved to wireless and high-speed internet services. “We’re working with the remaining consumers who use traditional copper-based phone service to upgrade to newer technologies from us or other providers, so everyone will still be able to make their most important life connections.”
The same attorney who previously helped bring shareholder derivative class actions against top AT&T and Verizon executives and board members for allegedly covering up their knowledge of abandoned toxic lead-laden telecom cables (see 2308020046) filed another suit Thursday (docket 3:24-cv-00063) in U.S. District Court for New Jersey in Trenton on behalf of Verizon shareholder Wade Sarver.