The California Public Utilities Commission will hold a virtual prehearing Feb. 14 about the second phase of its proceeding for an updated regulatory framework for VoIP providers, per a ruling Wednesday (see 2411070036). The CPUC wants prehearing statements from interested parties by Feb. 10.
The California Public Utilities Commission approved $32.5 million in new broadband grants Thursday. Three projects will receive a collective $28 million through the state's last-mile federal funding account grant program. The remaining funding will be awarded through seven grants supporting digital literacy and broadband adoption efforts. “These grants represent a perfect example of what we are trying to achieve in order to close the digital divide, especially in areas that have historic need," said Commissioner Darcie Houck: "It is necessary to not only build broadband infrastructure, but we also have to make sure everyone is able to use it."
Frontier and Verizon urged that the California Public Utilities Commission "adopt an efficient schedule" for its proceeding regarding Verizon's $20 billion all-cash deal to purchase Frontier (see 2409050010). The companies met virtually with aides to Commissioner John Reynolds, per an ex parte filing posted last week. They sought approval by October and "underscored that a delay in California would impact the national transaction as a whole, and delay bringing benefits to consumers." The companies also noted that Frontier is "under financial pressure" and the transaction will allow it to continue fiber deployment.
The California Public Utilities Commission will consider grants of more than $4 million for digital literacy training and broadband subscriptions during the agency's January 16 meeting. The California Emerging Technology Fund, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, International Rescue Committee-Oakland, Rural Prosperity Center, Swords to Plowshares and United Way of Central Eastern California would provide training to 4,140 participants and broadband subscriptions to 13,058 participants.
California's top assemblymember on communications is concerned about the state's process for distributing broadband cash and what President-elect Donald Trump might do to its $1.86 billion federal BEAD allocation. In an exclusive Communications Daily Q&A ahead of Monday's opening of the new legislative session, Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee Chair Tasha Boerner (D) said she expects she will resurrect her proposal that creates a single state broadband office. And the committee will try again on a digital discrimination bill that failed to pass in the last session. Our conversation below with Boerner was lightly edited for length and clarity.
The California Public Utilities Commission may approve about $26.2 million in additional federal funding for last-mile broadband infrastructure deployment (see 2107200056). A draft resolution scheduled for the commission's consideration during its Jan. 30 meeting would grant WiConduit and GigabitNow a combined $17 million to serve about 800 unserved locations. The commission will also consider a $3 million grant for AT&T to serve 973 unserved locations and grants totaling $6.2 million for Sierra Nevada Communications to serve 1,113 unserved locations.
The California Public Utilities Commission last week approved $225 million in its 10th round of grants, totaling more than $1 billion, for last-mile broadband infrastructure projects. The last-mile federal funding account grant program expands broadband to underserved and unserved communities throughout the state. "These grants fund projects that vary from fiber to wireless network infrastructure," said CPUC Commissioner Darcie Houck: "In order to maximize our investments we have to use all the innovative technologies at our disposal." The latest round of funding will serve 163,000 residents across 14 counties.
The California Public Utilities Commission should "take official notice" of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' opinion in the ISP coalition's challenge of New York's Affordable Broadband Act, California's Public Advocates Office said in a motion filed Friday in docket R2406012. The U.S. Supreme Court last week denied the ISPs' petition to review the appellate court ruling in favor of the law (see 2412160039). The office said the opinion is "directly relevant" to the CPUC's proceeding on its carrier of last resort rules, which the PUC is considering lifting (see 2412100065).
The California Public Utilities Commission will consider a proposed decision Thursday to temporarily freeze the state LifeLine specific support amount (SSA) for wireline and wireless providers. AT&T and others didn't persuade the CPUC to set the freeze at a higher amount if it ultimately adopted the freeze. The SSA for wireline and wireless providers would be frozen at $19 per month for two years beginning Jan. 1 or until a new methodology is adopted (see 2411220031).
Several public interest groups urged greater scrutiny of Frontier's proposed sale to Verizon in comments to the California Public Utilities Commission (see 2410210012). In joint comments in docket 24-10-006 posted Friday, the Utility Reform Network, Center for Accessible Technology and Access Humboldt said, "The application does not contain sufficient information to determine even whether a review of the proposed transaction is justified." In addition, the CPUC Public Advocates Office warned that the proposed deal could "diminish service quality and reliability" and "impede the deployment and adoption of broadband services." The office encouraged that the commission study the impact of the deal on fiber deployment in the state, noting that it's unclear in the joint application whether Verizon will "continue Frontier's trajectory of building fiber in California." The California Emerging Technology Fund didn't oppose the deal, although it encouraged that the CPUC "consider impacts in the short term and long term of the transaction on broadband access service." The group also noted the application "lacks specificity" on Verizon's commitment to infrastructure investments in the near term and suggested a public benefit framework with buildout commitments.