California local governments removed opposition to a bill meant to streamline broadband infrastructure deployment, they said at a California Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee meeting livestreamed Tuesday. The panel cleared AB-965 and three other broadband bills passed last month by the Assembly. One senator pushed back on AB-1065, which would explicitly authorize wireless broadband providers to get support from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband infrastructure grant and federal funding accounts.
The reaction has been muted to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's speech Wednesday launching a Privacy and Data Protection Task Force and urging a more aggressive approach by the agency on data privacy (see 2306140075). But some observers questioned how far the FCC can go under its legal authority to regulate privacy. Rosenworcel said Wednesday sections 222 and 631 of the Communication Act provide the grounding for FCC action. Congress rejected ISP privacy rules approved under former Chairman Tom Wheeler, through a Congressional Review Act resolution (see 1704040059).
Don’t include communications in a state review of utilities’ low-income universal service programs, Verizon urged the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Wednesday. "Low-income discount programs for voice and internet are governed by federal law,” Verizon commented in docket M-2023-3038944. FCC rules cover eligibility, enrollment, recertification and other issues raised by the Pennsylvania PUC in a March 27 letter, said the carrier: While the state commission "has a role with certain aspects of these federal programs, it must work within and cannot alter or depart from the federal requirements."
The FCC approved 4-0 NPRMs on expediting the transition to next-generation 911 and giving consumers more choice on the robocalls and robotexts they’ll receive (see 2305180069). Both were approved with limited comments from commissioners.
Senate Commerce Committee leaders are continuing to push for a June confirmation hearing on FCC nominee Anna Gomez and renominated Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks (see 2306010075) but haven't settled on a date, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. Ex-nominee Gigi Sohn, meanwhile, directed her ire during a Tuesday Media and Democracy Project event at all levels of news media for not effectively covering her year-plus stalled confirmation process, saying she hopes Gomez and other future FCC candidates don't get the same treatment. Sohn asked President Joe Biden to withdraw her from consideration in March amid continued resistance from a handful of Democrats and uniform GOP opposition (see 2303070082).
Meta exposed its artificial intelligence technology to risks of spam, fraud, malware and privacy abuse by allowing unrestrained release of its Large Language Model Meta AI (LLaMA) program, wrote Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tuesday.
The telecom industry warned California regulators not to overstep, in Friday comments on three rulemakings at the California Public Utilities Commission. Litigation is likely if the CPUC ramps up VoIP regulation, said internet-based phone providers in docket R.22-08-008. Meanwhile, in docket R.23-04-006, video franchise holders said there’s no need to revamp how they’re treated under the state’s Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA). Consumer groups fail to support their calls for stricter and more widely applied service-quality metrics for voice, said telecom groups in reply comments in R.22-03-016.
Verizon needs another year to migrate TracFone California customers to its network due to inaction by affected users, Verizon said in a Friday letter to the California Public Utilities Commission. In 2021, the CPUC approved Verizon’s TracFone buy with a condition that it migrate all TraceFone customers to Verizon’s network by Nov. 22 this year. Verizon seeks an extension to Nov. 22, 2024, “to align with federal regulatory obligations and to continue its efforts to persuade TracFone’s California-based customers to migrate through customer-friendly incentives in light of widespread customer inaction despite Verizon and TracFone’s robust outreach to affected customers.” The FCC’s merger approval allowed three-years minimum for customer migration, Verizon said. Saying it can’t force anyone, the carrier said it’s doing everything it can to move customers. “Despite robust outreach and generous incentives, a large number of customers have not migrated,” it said. “These customers have been contacted on a nearly weekly cadence, with some customers having received over 50 communications to date.” The carrier later in the letter described the number of unmoved customers as a “large percentage of the original universe of TracFone customers on non-Verizon networks.” If customers don’t move by the current deadline, Verizon would continue to provide service for the time being but cease to communicate migration offers, it said. “Such customers, assuming they do not switch service providers of their own volition, will remain in this status until TracFone ceases to provide service over the third-party network used to serve the customers.” Verizon would inform customers before they lose service, it said. The carrier asked the CPUC to extend the deadline by June 22.
Texas legislators passed broadband funding and consumer privacy bills before adjourning Monday. Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) has until June 18 to consider many of the bills. "This was a big, important session for rural telecom,” said Texas Telephone Association (TTA) Executive Director Mark Seale in an interview Tuesday.
The 42 GHz NPRM, teed up for a vote at the FCC’s June 18 meeting (see 2305180069), was largely unexpected, though it had apparently been in the works since 2021 when staff for Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel started asking about putting the band to work, industry officials told us. The 500-MHz of spectrum is uniquely unoccupied, with no federal or nonfederal incumbents.