The main associations of state telecom commissioners and of local cable and telecoms overseers changed annual conference plans due to coronavirus precautions. They join many other events in going virtual this summer.
California should align suspension of renewals for its low-income program with federal Lifeline, said commenters Thursday on assigned Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma’s proposed decision in docket R.20-02-008. California proposes suspension until June 17, but the FCC recently extended its suspension to June 30. Assurance Wireless, a T-Mobile subsidiary after the Sprint deal, supported the proposal but noted an apparent “conflict between the FCC’s and the CPUC’s suspension periods and associated de-enrollment rules.” That may be “easily avoided by aligning the federal and state renewal suspension periods.” The Greenlining Institute and other consumer advocates suggested the CPUC make the LifeLine suspension last either as long as the federal freeze or the governor’s order suspending renewal requirements of public purpose programs, whichever is longer.
There mightn't be clean resolution on what authority the Regulatory Commission of Alaska retains after a 2019 state deregulation law, said commissioners at the RCA’s virtual, teleconferenced meeting Wednesday. Regulators are mulling broad telecom rule changes due to SB-83 (see 2001170047). First up, the commission will consider its power over access charge ratemaking at its June 10 meeting, said Chairman Bob Pickett. “Does the commission have a legitimate role in this or is it just a rubber stamp?” The commission will mull its authority over eligible telecom carrier designation for federal USF at the June 24 meeting, state USF on July 8, interconnection and joint use dispute resolution July 22, telecom relay service Aug. 12, and transfers and discontinuances Aug. 26, said the chairman. “It’s time to get things together quickly.” Pickett doesn’t “want to try to expand our authority under SB-83,” but the commission needs “specific language for the regs coming out of each of these discussions on what the commission will do and won’t do,” he said. Carriers don’t agree on the access charge ratemaking authority issue “or virtually any of the others,” noted Commissioner Stephen McAlpine. “The state of confusion that exists is going to require the commission at some point to just go forward, issue regulations as we can best interpret them, and let the chips fall where they will.” Carriers can “pursue whatever mechanism they see fit to straighten it out,” he said. Commissioner Daniel Sullivan concurred, “This is going to be sorted out one way or the other, maybe at some point legally.” The RCA clearly needs more clarity from the legislature, said Commissioner Antony Scott. “We really don’t know what they meant.”
The pandemic is making the case for next-generation 911 while complicating some deployments, state emergency number officials and others told us this month. “Our migration schedule is completely destroyed,” said Colorado State 911 Program Manager Daryl Branson. COVID-19 hot spot New York City plans to roll out text-to-911 next month and is still targeting 2024 to complete a NG-911 project proposed three years ago.
A November ballot vote on California consumer privacy might be inevitable despite lukewarm reception from groups that typically back such measures. Industry hasn’t formally opposed the proposed California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and legislative intervention is no sure thing, we were told last week. “That there is no campaign against this initiative” by businesses is “almost as telling” as “no privacy group coming out to support it,” said Corbin and Kaiser lobbying firm CEO Samantha Corbin.
The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to provide $5 million from the California Advanced Services Fund adoption account to public schools and school districts in response to COVID-19 (see 2004200041). The draft order was adopted Thursday as part of the consent agenda at the livestreamed meeting conducted by videoconference with dial-in public comments. CPUC members also unanimously adopted a resolution to send nearly $11 million from the CASF infrastructure fund to a middle-mile broadband project covering tribal lands in Humboldt County. Policymakers should treat broadband as a basic utility and seek to empower local government and tribal solutions, said Commissioner Martha Aceves Guzman. In Minnesota, Sen. Patricia Torres Ray (D) introduced SF-4580 to spend $8 million on distance-learning grants this fiscal year. Minnesota senators passed SF-4494 earlier this week (see 2005050008). The House version of SF-4494 is HF-3029, but the chamber also proposed HF-1507, including $15 million for education, plus the same telehealth and rural broadband funding as the other bills.
California LifeLine providers urged expanding the state low-income program to better support families needing broadband. “Average consumer mobile data usage nationwide is far higher than the current service offerings in California,” so LifeLine "should support more robust broadband data offerings, including potentially family plans with additional subsidized lines,” the National Lifeline Association commented in docket R.20-02-008 on a California Public Utilities Commission scoping memo (see 2004140013). Also filed Monday, Sprint said the CPUC should consider funding family plans and expanding voice and data support to other members of eligible households. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifeline providers have seen “that other household members have an ever-growing need for individual access” to voice and data, Sprint said. AT&T and Charter Communications warned the CPUC to make participation in LifeLine broadband programs voluntary. Synchronize with the federal Lifeline broadband program to maximize consumer benefits and simplify provider participation, said AT&T. As in the federal program, California LifeLine customers should be required to choose between voice and broadband support so as not to overburden the fund, it said. Rather than specify a low-income broadband service tier, the CPUC should consider coupons that could be used on any internet plan, proposed Charter. The cable operator opposed "on jurisdictional grounds the use of any program that would purport to regulate pricing and terms and conditions for broadband services.” Cox Communications warned the CPUC to address legal and policy issues first. Don't impose minimum service standards for wireless broadband, cautioned TracFone.
NARUC is considering a partly or fully virtual summer meeting, though it could still happen in person in Boston, emailed Senior Director-Meetings and Member Services Michelle Malloy via a spokesperson Tuesday. “NARUC would, ideally, like to see all attendees in person” at the July 19-22 meeting, but travel restrictions, health and safety concerns and budgets may keep people from attending, she said. NARUC is weighing “all available options,” including “a hybrid meeting (on site and virtual), onsite, and a fully virtual conference,” she said. NARUC surveyed possible attendees Tuesday on whether the coronavirus might affect their ability to go and if they had ever attended a virtual conference. “Getting input from people across the utility spectrum (including those who have never attended a NARUC meeting) will help guide our decision-making process," said Malloy. "We want to use a format that best serves the safety and interests of everyone.”
California Assembly members weighed telecom and privacy bills responding to COVID-19 at Tuesday hearings. The Communications and Conveyance Committee cleared an anti-robocalls bill (AB-3007) brought to the legislature by Consumer Reports. It’s even more important now, with more telemarketing robocalls about COVID-19, and with rising unemployment increasing the need for protections from debt-collection robocalls, said CR Policy Analyst Maureen Mahoney. CTIA and the California Cable & Telecommunications Association representatives supported the robocalls bill after it was amended to remove a section requiring companies to provide call mitigation technology. The communications panel voted 9-0 for a California LifeLine bill (AB-3079) meant to increase participation and reduce administrative barriers in the low-income subsidy program. Assembly sponsor Eduardo Garcia (D) said participation increased about 10% during COVID-19 but the program remains underutilized. Assemblymember Jay Obernolte (R) opposed using surcharges paid only by phone companies for broadband. He said the legislature itself should decide whether to expand the program rather than punt the decision to the CPUC. The panel unanimously cleared AB-2189 to authorize small independent telcos to request rate cases at the California Public Utilities Commission through advice letters, a process that would be faster than a formal rate case. The Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee will prioritize privacy bills that respond to the coronavirus, said Chairman Ed Chau (D) at the panel’s separate hearing. The panel voted 10-0 for AB-2004 by Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D) to allow blockchain for securely sending medical test results to patients. No members opposed AB-3116 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D) to clarify bike-share trip location data is protected under the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Other bills included AB-2261 by Chau to make rules for public and private usage of facial recognition technology, including an opt-in requirement for entering or disclosing an individual’s facial information; and AB-2320 by Chau to require state contractors maintain cyber insurance to cover losses from possible unlawful access to or disclosure of personal information. Chau and many other committee members wore masks and spoke into a bagged mic, though three Republican members didn’t wear masks. Californians for Consumer Privacy said Monday it submitted more than 900,000 signatures for a ballot initiative to tighten the California Consumer Privacy Act (see 1912180012). That’s about 280,000 more than needed to get on 2020’s ballot, though signatures must be verified. The initiative’s author sponsored the 2018 ballot initiative that led to the legislature quickly passing CCPA.
Recent T-Mobile spats with the California Public Utilities Commission might portend litigation over state wireless authority, said law experts in interviews last week. A potential federal case on whether California is preempted under Section 332 of the Communications Act would likely affect other states' roles in big transactions and other issues, they said.