Charter Communications snagged its last-needed regulatory OK for its $90 billion buys of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable, with the California Public Utilities Commission shining the green light Thursday. At a live-streamed meeting in Sacramento, the five CPUC commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a conditional OK. CPUC President Michael Picker said the transactions satisfy requirements of the public utilities code and are in the public interest, and consumer advocates attending the meeting said it’s a good deal for underserved communities.
Charter Communications snagged its last-needed regulatory OK for its $90 billion buys of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable, with the California Public Utilities Commission shining the green light Thursday. At a live-streamed meeting in Sacramento, the five CPUC commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a conditional OK. CPUC President Michael Picker said the transactions satisfy requirements of the public utilities code and are in the public interest, and consumer advocates attending the meeting said it’s a good deal for underserved communities.
The California Public Utilities Commission added some teeth and more conditions to its proposed order approving the $90 billion Charter buys of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. A revision to the CPUC’s proposed order, released Tuesday, requires a ramp-up in broadband speeds over the next three years in California. While it could be revised again before Thursday’s vote on it in Sacramento, the California Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) and Stop the Cap said they're disappointed with the proposal as revised. In reply comments filed before the meeting, they and other groups debated a proposed three-year sunset on a net neutrality condition.
The California Public Utilities Commission added some teeth and more conditions to its proposed order approving the $90 billion Charter buys of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. A revision to the CPUC’s proposed order, released Tuesday, requires a ramp-up in broadband speeds over the next three years in California. While it could be revised again before Thursday’s vote on it in Sacramento, the California Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) and Stop the Cap said they're disappointed with the proposal as revised. In reply comments filed before the meeting, they and other groups debated a proposed three-year sunset on a net neutrality condition.
A recent 30-page report from the Congressional Research Service contemplated circumstances that may necessitate that Congress take a bigger role in FirstNet’s deployment. “FirstNet officials face enormous pressure to produce a functional network in a timely manner, reflecting widespread concerns that public safety communications will not be adequate for response and recovery if a catastrophic national emergency occurs,” said the CRS report. “Building momentum after a slow start in setting up the organization, it is possible that FirstNet, working closely with the NTIA, is now opting for expediency at the expense of states’ own public safety goals. For example, much of the available information about the role of states in managing networks in their jurisdiction is -- at this point in time -- vague, with a heavy emphasis on proposals, drafts, and works-in-progress.” States eventually could encounter “federal-centric” final plans that lead to governors turning to lawmakers for assistance, CRS said. “At this point, however, revising the contracts negotiated by the FirstNet Board of Directors may be difficult and costly,” CRS said. “Both the Government Accountability Office and the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce have found fault with the decision-making process at FirstNet and the level of oversight by the NTIA.” If these issues persist, “Congress may consider the value of greater vigilance over the planning process for the deployment,” CRS advised. “For example, a number of economic decisions that claim to justify federal control are not supported by public circulation of the economic modeling.” FirstNet has defended its progress through the development of its request for proposals process and said it’s preparing for various state opt-out scenarios (see 1604120046). A FirstNet spokeswoman declined comment on the CRS report.
A recent 30-page report from the Congressional Research Service contemplated circumstances that may necessitate that Congress take a bigger role in FirstNet’s deployment. “FirstNet officials face enormous pressure to produce a functional network in a timely manner, reflecting widespread concerns that public safety communications will not be adequate for response and recovery if a catastrophic national emergency occurs,” said the CRS report. “Building momentum after a slow start in setting up the organization, it is possible that FirstNet, working closely with the NTIA, is now opting for expediency at the expense of states’ own public safety goals. For example, much of the available information about the role of states in managing networks in their jurisdiction is -- at this point in time -- vague, with a heavy emphasis on proposals, drafts, and works-in-progress.” States eventually could encounter “federal-centric” final plans that lead to governors turning to lawmakers for assistance, CRS said. “At this point, however, revising the contracts negotiated by the FirstNet Board of Directors may be difficult and costly,” CRS said. “Both the Government Accountability Office and the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce have found fault with the decision-making process at FirstNet and the level of oversight by the NTIA.” If these issues persist, “Congress may consider the value of greater vigilance over the planning process for the deployment,” CRS advised. “For example, a number of economic decisions that claim to justify federal control are not supported by public circulation of the economic modeling.” FirstNet has defended its progress through the development of its request for proposals process and said it’s preparing for various state opt-out scenarios (see 1604120046). A FirstNet spokeswoman declined comment on the CRS report.
CTIA warned the FCC that the use of the wireless emergency alert (WEA) system to send earthquake warnings to people in less than three seconds is likely a nonstarter. Congress asked the FCC to file a report on deployment of earthquake early warning (EEW) systems by Sept. 18 (see 1604080057) and comments were due at the FCC Monday in docket 16-32.
CTIA warned the FCC that the use of the wireless emergency alert (WEA) system to send earthquake warnings to people in less than three seconds is likely a nonstarter. Congress asked the FCC to file a report on deployment of earthquake early warning (EEW) systems by Sept. 18 (see 1604080057) and comments were due at the FCC Monday in docket 16-32.
Congress has done nothing to support next-generation 911 since the FCC Task Force on Optimal Public Safety Answering Point Architecture (TFOPA) released its final report in January, said Philip Jones, a utility regulator from Washington state. Jones chairs Working Group 3-Optimal Resource Allocation. TFOPA held its first meeting since approving the report (see 1601290051). The group plans to delve deeper into issues raised last year, FCC and TFOPA officials said Friday.
The FCC signed off officially on Charter Communications' buys of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable with conditions, the agency said in a news release Friday. The order, including conditions, is expected to be issued in the coming days, one agency source told us. Charter in a statement said the conditions in the order largely "codified or reflected specific commitments" it made at the start of the transaction review process. The operator noted that the curbs include settlement-free peering, no usage-based billing, provision of a low-income broadband program and buildout of its high-speed broadband footprint. An OK was expected after the deals worth about $90 billion were announced (see 1507160021) and last week, when most FCC members had OK'd the deals (see 1605050049).