California Public Utilities Commissioner Alice Reynolds is recommending the PUC adopt a new general order for implementing establishment of the state's universal telephone service program. The PUC has revised the previous general order several times, most recently in 2021, but since then has adopted several decisions that necessitate revising the general order again, according to a proposed decision submitted Wednesday by Reynolds, the assigned commissioner in the proceeding.
CTIA is asking the California Public Utilities Commission to clarify post-disaster community engagement requirements for facilities-based telecommunications service providers. In a petition Tuesday, CTIA said the wireless industry and CPUC staff had been on the same page about community engagement requirements applying to situations where a communications provider must rebuild or do major restoration after a disaster. However, the CPUC now apparently expects community meetings for any service outage resulting from a declared disaster, CTIA said. That approach "risks frustrating and confusing communities."
Providers are pushing back on a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) proceeding that suggests regulating how much wireline and wireless carriers and ISPs can rely on portable generators to guarantee network resiliency. The proceeding, initiated this summer, asks about the right ratio of mobile generators to network facility sites to ensure system resilience, as well as where the mobile generators need to be stored to ensure that they're deployed in a timely fashion during disasters.
A draft proposed decision by the California Public Utilities Commission would partially deny AT&T's request to relinquish its eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation in the state. The commission will also conduct an investigation into AT&T's wire center regions currently served by Cox California Telecom and Time Warner Cable in several counties, as well as regions served by ConnectTo and Consolidated Communications. Commissioners will consider the item during the agency's Oct. 30 meeting.
Charter Communications and Cox Communications defended their proposed $34.5 billion deal to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in a joint filing posted Wednesday in docket 25-07-016 (see 2505160060). The CPUC Public Advocates Office (Cal Advocates), The Utility Reform Network (TURN) and Center for Accessible Technology (CforAT) filed various protests against the deal earlier this month seeking more information about the companies' proposed transaction.
A bill that headed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) desk Tuesday would prohibit the California Public Utilities Commission from sharing the immigration status of FCC Lifeline applicants or subscribers with other government entities without a valid subpoena or warrant. AB-1303, which passed the state Senate last week, requires a "court-ordered subpoena or valid judicial warrant" for an individual's personal information to be released. It also clarified that Lifeline is a state law "that may provide assistance and services for individuals not lawfully present in the United States" under federal statutes.
Verizon, Frontier and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) reached a settlement that they said protects workers and customers as Verizon seeks approval to acquire Frontier in a $20 billion all-cash deal. They asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to adopt the agreement in a joint motion posted Thursday (docket A-24-10-006).
California’s plan to launch a home broadband pilot under its LifeLine program received mixed reactions from industry and consumer advocates. Groups were split over legal authority, service standards and who should be required to participate in the program, which was proposed by California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Commissioner Alice Reynolds and is expected to be considered during the agency's August 28 meeting.
T-Mobile defended its hiring practices in response to the Center for Accessible Technology's (CforAT) petition for the California Public Utilities Commission to reopen its docket on T-Mobile's 2020 acquisition of Sprint (see 2003110043). The company said in a filing posted Wednesday (docket A1807011) that the group's petition is "procedurally improper," and any compliance issues should be resolved through the CPUC's existing enforcement mechanisms. CforAT petitioned the CPUC in May, saying it "appears" that T-Mobile isn't complying with several "mandatory merger conditions" based on a March letter from the company to the FCC.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will consider launching a rulemaking to update the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF), which offers schools, libraries, clinics and nonprofits a 50% discount on charges for advanced communication services. The CPUC will analyze who qualifies, what services should be covered, and whether the $5 million revenue cap for nonprofits should be raised. The cap was lowered from $50 million to $5 million in 2019, said a draft proposed decision. In addition, the CPUC is considering ways to improve how the program is run. The item would explore administrative updates such as how the program is implemented, monitored and evaluated. Comments are due within 30 days, with reply comments 15 days after that. It's not the first time the California Teleconnect Fund has been tweaked. Previously, voice services were dropped, eligibility for funding was revised, and mobile and satellite broadband were added, the draft item noted.