AT&T said progress is too slow at the California Public Utilities Commission on the carrier’s request to be relieved of carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations (docket A.23-03-003). AT&T met virtually Friday with aides to CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds, said an ex-parte filing posted Tuesday. AT&T said “timely resolution of the COLR proceeding is critical to achieving key economic, social, and environmental goals” and will hasten the company’s transition from copper to fiber and wireless broadband. The carrier filed the application eight months ago and expected the CPUC would have issued a scoping memo by now, it said. Since it filed, AT&T “lost tens of thousands of its remaining [plain old telephone service] residential lines,” it added. Public advocates have urged the commission to dismiss the AT&T-sought relief for most of the state (see 2307280036).
The California Public Utilities Commission seeks comment on a staff proposal setting state LifeLine specific support amounts (SSA) and minimum service standards (MSS), Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Wang said Monday. File comments by Dec. 6 and replies by Jan. 9, the ALJ ruled. The Oct. 30 staff proposal would provide an SSA up to $20.75, increase the wireless broadband allowance MSS to 25 GB from 5 GB, and increase the wireline broadband speed MSS to 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload from 25/3 Mbps currently. For wireless, staff proposed a “dynamic approach” in which a Lifeline participant would move between two tiers “automatically based on their monthly data consumption without need for action.” Tier 1 would give 5 GB of data with a fixed SSA of up to $10.75, while Tier 2 would provide 25 GB of data and 10 GB hot spot data with a fixed subsidy of up to $20.75. "Staff set the subsidy at $20.75 so that when combined with the $9.25 federal LifeLine subsidy, California LifeLine participants are eligible for a total subsidy of $30 as with the ACP plan,” it said. "Service providers may not throttle speeds … except in accordance with reasonable network management practices, such as during an emergency where first responders require priority above other customers.” For wireline, staff proposed setting a voice-only tier SSA that would equal the lesser of $20.75 or 55% of a wireline service provider’s combined rate and end user common line charge. "The SSA floor would be $10.75 so that service providers with lower basic residential rates will provide and market robust offerings to CA LifeLine participants." For a second tier bundling voice and broadband, staff proposed a fixed $20.75 SSA. Staff said MSS for a foster youth program would generally be the same as proposed for the regular LifeLine wireless program. But since foster youth under 18 are ineligible for federal Lifeline support, staff proposes having California Lifeline make up the difference, "assuming that the amount is equal to or less than the current $9.25,” it said. Also, while the main program unsubscribes participants after they don't use it for 45 days, the foster program would switch participants to an "emergency service access plan" with 3 GB of wireless data and unlimited voice and text. Service providers would get a $10 monthly subsidy for each person on the emergency plan, it said. No co-pays would be required from foster youth.
North Carolina wants comments by Dec. 5 on both volumes of its initial proposal for the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, the state’s Department of Information Technology said Monday. North Carolina plans to submit the proposal to NTIA by Dec. 27, the department said. “We are moving forward as quickly as we can to put this funding to work and address a critical need for internet connectivity across North Carolina,” said Deputy Secretary-Broadband and Digital Equity Nate Denny. California Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola sought comments Tuesday on CPUC staff drafts for initial proposal volumes one and two. Comments are due Nov. 27, replies Dec. 7 (docket R.23-02-016). The CPUC plans to make its extremely high cost per location threshold “as high as feasible to ensure greater fiber coverage while also prioritizing the federal statutory goal of complete coverage of unserved locations, followed by underserved locations and Community Anchor Institutions,” said the second volume.
The California Privacy Protection Agency may act Dec. 8 on proposed insurance regulations and establishing a data broker registration fee, the CPPA said Monday. The meeting agenda also includes an update on draft rules for automated decision-making technology, risk assessments and cybersecurity audits.
Consolidated Communications missed an Oct. 31 deadline to provide more details about a proposed rate center consolidation in Maine (see 2309220060). “Consolidated is preparing the data and believes it will be able to file” Nov. 13, Consolidated Vice President-Government Affairs Sarah Davis said in a letter Sunday to the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
An administrative law judge delayed until Dec. 1 the deadline to respond to Center for Accessible Technology’s Oct. 6 petition to modify the California Public Utilities Commission’s 2021 decision approving the Verizon/Tracfone deal. Nearing a possible settlement, Verizon and CforAT last week sought a pause in the proceeding regarding the carrier’s challenges with migrating Tracfone customers still using non-Verizon networks (see 2311030008). Since the CPUC won’t issue a proposed decision by Thursday, the commission won’t be able to decide the proceeding this year, noted ALJ Thomas Glegola in Friday’s email ruling in docket A.20-11-001.
Altafiber has approval to provide resold local exchange telecom services in the D.C., the D.C. Public Service Commission ordered Friday.
Verizon and California consumer advocates might settle a dispute at the California Public Utilities Commission on the carrier’s challenges migrating Tracfone customers still using non-Verizon networks. The Utility Reform Network (TURN), Center for Accessible Technology (CforAT) and Verizon “have been actively pursuing a potential global settlement of issues” in CforAT’s Oct. 6 petition for modification and “request the stay so that we may continue those discussions,” CforAT Legal Counsel Paul Goodman wrote to CPUC Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola in an email distributed Thursday to the service list in docket A.20-11-001. The parties ask the CPUC to stay the Nov. 5 deadline for responses to CforAT’s petition, said Goodman. “While Verizon is prepared to file a Response on November 5 if necessary, we believe that we will be able to reach an agreement.” CforAT’s Oct. 6 petition asked the CPUC to modify its 2021 decision approving the Verizon-Tracfone deal to require Verizon to provide free Verizon-network compatible devices to any Tracfone customer that bought service after Nov. 19, 2021, with devices that worked on AT&T or T-Mobile networks. Last week’s stay request wouldn’t affect Verizon's July 27 petition to modify the 2021 decision to remove a Nov. 22 migration deadline and eliminate penalties, a request that consumer groups opposed (see 2308280070).
The Utah Public Service Commission should OK a settlement that would approve Dish Wireless’ application for eligible telecom carrier designation, officials for Utah’s Division of Public Utilities and Office of Consumer Services said at a virtual hearing Friday. Approval would let Dish provide Lifeline service in Utah. In the Oct. 13 settlement (docket 23-2641-01), Dish agreed to additional requirements including to make a Utah-specific fact sheet for consumers to know what service they will receive, comply with all applicable Utah customer protection requirements, report to the division on any plan changes, and pay USF and emergency fees, said Ronald Slusher, DPU utilities technical analyst. Approval would lead to a just and reasonable result and is in the public interest, said Alex Ware, OCS utility analyst. Administrative Law Judge John Delaney said the PSC will “issue an order in due course.” A Utah PSC spokesperson emailed, “The PSC will consider the settlement stipulation and issue a written order at a later date.”
The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously adopted rules Thursday regarding the state's $750 million broadband loan loss reserve fund (BLLRF) program (see 2309290050). The move will "bolster community-led efforts to build broadband infrastructure" and "provide an essential backstop for communities seeking to finance their own networks," said President Alice Reynolds. The vote was held during an agency meeting.