State agencies urged the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to hold Lumen’s CenturyLink accountable for alleged service quality failures. But Lumen said the PUC should halt further action in the nearly 4-year-old probe (see 2301050068). The PUC received briefs Wednesday in docket C-20-432. “Despite CenturyLink’s obligations to deliver adequate service, the company’s unwillingness to sufficiently maintain its aging network means that an increasing number of customers are forced to endure lengthy and repeated outages, or buzzing, ringing, or static that renders their landline service useless,” the Minnesota Commerce Department said. “These customers cannot be treated as mere datapoints to be averaged or annualized away.” Rather than proactively rehabilitate its network, CenturyLink fixes individual problems; even then, the company is slow, the department said. The PUC should order Lumen to "rehabilitate deficient plant and equipment serving the most harmed customers and prevent future backlogs through better preventative maintenance of its aging legacy copper network.” Similarly, the Minnesota attorney general office’s Residential Utility Division urged PUC action. For many years, CenturyLink customers have complained about "long wait times, excessive outages, and decaying infrastructure that erodes their service quality and pollutes the local landscape,” the division said. “Technicians too report equipment in disrepair and orders from management to avoid costly replacements even when they are needed; they note CenturyLink has hollowed out the local workforce needed to repair and maintain copper wire landline telephone systems.” The telco “simply will not help them, having unofficially abandoned wireline customers to focus on customers and communities that offer the company a greater potential for profit,” it said. Lumen argued there is nothing for the PUC to do. Nearly four years since the investigation began, "the record is clear -- CenturyLink provides safe, reasonable and adequate voice service to its Minnesota customers, in compliance with Minnesota law."
Kansas Rep. Kyle Hoffman (R) would hesitate to scrap a recurring state 911 audit if the legislature doesn’t pass his forthcoming bill to move the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council to a state agency, he said at a livestreamed House Commerce Committee hearing Thursday. The committee heard testimony on HB-2483, which would eliminate a five-year audit by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit that checks if public safety answering points are appropriately using 911 funding, whether they have enough money, and the status of 911 service implementation (see 2401030019). An audit could still be requested, but the bill would stop automatically requiring audits that are “somewhat boring for the most part,” said Chair Sean Tarwater (R). Committee member Hoffman responded that auditing is useful to the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council where he serves. However, Hoffman plans to propose a bill next week, probably with a Democratic co-sponsor, "that will be moving the 911 Coordinating Council to a fee-funded state agency, which would then negate the reasoning for the 5-year audit,” he said. "I would be a little bit hesitant to totally get rid of the audit if we don't move it to a state agency because that is one of the only real lookbacks that we have as a legislature to really look at what they're doing.” Kansas Legislative Post Auditor Chris Clarke testified that her division usually receives more requests for audits than it has capacity to perform.
Democrats peppered a Florida age-verification bill’s sponsors with questions Wednesday on their proposal to remove kids younger than 16 from social media platforms this summer. Several young people gave forceful testimony against the bill at the livestreamed hearing. But the state's House Judiciary Committee voted 17-5 to advance HB-1 to the floor.
Municipal police dispatchers should get a slice of county 911 fee revenue in Washington state if they receive emergency calls transferred from the county, House Appropriations Committee Chair Timm Ormsby (D) said at a Local Government Committee hearing livestreamed Tuesday. Ormsby sponsored HB-2258, which would require counties collecting the tax to transfer some of the revenue to local governments operating municipal 911 systems. Currently, counties may impose a 911 excise tax of up to 70 cents monthly per line on landlines, wireless and VoIP; states may additionally impose a 911 tax of up to 25 cents. But in some areas, like Spokane, the county emergency communications center transfers calls requiring police to the city, which doesn’t receive any 911 fee revenue, said Ormsby. “This is about making sure that folks in our community that pay that excise tax get services for the larger portion of the 911 calls that are police, not fire related.” The bill wouldn’t raise the 911 tax, he said in response to a question by Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen (R).
Cable companies urged the Maine Public Utilities Commission to quickly align the state’s Chapter 880 pole attachment rules with the FCC’s December pole attachment order. The FCC order aimed at resolving disputes quicker. It takes effect Feb. 12 (see 2401110017). The Maine PUC received comments Friday on implementing a 2023 state law requiring a commission study on pole attachment requirements’ effect on broadband expansion. "Because pole replacement costs impose a significant barrier to broadband deployment, especially in rural areas, the [Maine PUC] should make similar amendments or clarifications to the Chapter 880 Rules,” Comcast and Charter Communications wrote. "While the pole replacement cost allocation approach in Section 5(C) of the Chapter 880 rules already limits, in some ways, pole replacement costs charged to attachers, the current rule is unclear and leaves room for uneconomic, inequitable, and inappropriate cost-shifting by pole owners to attachers." For pole applications and make ready, the PUC shouldn't treat municipal entities differently than private companies, the two cable companies added. The Maine PUC proceeding should seek to make the application process more efficient, ensure one-touch make-ready and self-help remedies are readily available, enforce deadlines for pole owner work and update make-ready payment obligations, commented Crown Castle and GoNetSpeed. Don't make attachers pay for system improvements that mostly benefit pole owners, they said.
Nevada, New Jersey and New York diverted about $205.4 million, or 5.3% of all 911 fee revenue, for unrelated purposes in 2022, an FCC report to Congress posted Tuesday found. The commission’s previous annual report found the same three states diverting about $198.5 million in 2021. The states used some of the revenue for public safety programs unrelated to 911; New York and New Jersey also used a portion for purposes unrelated to 911, the FCC said. Under the NET 911 Act, states must use 911 fee revenue for 911-related activities. The agency said 49 states, the District of Columbia and four territories responded to last year’s data request. Together they collected more than $3.5 billion in 2022 for 911. Idaho and the Northern Mariana Islands didn't report. New Jersey diverted 78.1% of $127.1 million collected, while fellow repeat offender New York diverted 41.7% of $254.4 million collected, said the report: It's unknown how much Nevada diverted from a $2.9 million pot. Nevada disclosed that at least two local jurisdictions diverted funding in 2022 for police body and vehicular cameras, the report said. “New Jersey and New York did not self-identify ... as diverting funds, but, consistent with previous reports, the Bureau has determined based on review of the information provided that these states diverted funds for non-911 related purposes within the meaning of the NET 911 Act.” In addition, the FCC said 44 states, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico reported $512 million in total next-generation 911 spending in 2022. It said 37 states and jurisdictions reported having operating emergency services IP networks (ESInets). D.C., Puerto Rico and 47 states reported having text-to-911 by the end of 2022. Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands expected to provide that capability in 2023, the report said. National Emergency Number Association CEO Brian Fontes said it's unfortunate and unacceptable that some states still see 911 revenue as a way to fund other programs. "Funds that the public pays specifically for 9-1-1 purposes should be used to ensure that 9-1-1 callers receive an effective emergency response." NENA urges states that divert funds to end the practice. Instead, they should use the money for maintaining 911 service levels and upgrading to NG-911, he said.
The California Privacy Protection Agency, the nation's first dedicated privacy regulator, has “many investigations underway,” Executive Director Ashkan Soltani said at a partially virtual CPPA board meeting Friday. Soltani estimated that the agency has received about 100 complaints from consumers since forming in 2021. The CPPA’s data broker registry is up and running after a 2023 bill transferred it to the agency from the California DOJ, Soltani said. Many have since registered and CPPA plans to publish a list of registrants in March, he said. Staff is preparing a proposed rulemaking package including cybersecurity risk assessments, automated decision-making technology for the next board meeting, said Soltani: Staff is incorporating feedback from board members after the Dec. 8 meeting (see 2312080064). In addition, staff is writing draft language and speaking with possible legislative authors for a potential bill that would require browser vendors to let users exercise their California privacy rights through a global opt-out signal, said Maureen Mahoney, deputy director-policy and legislation. “We’re confident that we have adequate resources to effectively sponsor the bill.” CPPA's board voted at last month’s meeting to advance the legislative proposal. The board considered a draft 2024-27 strategic plan with the mission statement: “Protect consumers’ privacy, ensure that businesses and consumers are well-informed about their rights and obligations, and vigorously enforce the law against businesses that violate consumers’ privacy rights.”
California must ensure a permanent affordable broadband option for residents should the affordable connectivity program (ACP) run out of money, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D) said during an Assembly Communications Committee meeting Wednesday. The committee voted 7-3 for Wilson’s AB-1588, despite concerns from some that the legislation could be stronger. The bill would allow the state to do business only with ISPs that have affordable plans costing at most $40 monthly for at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D) stressed that she will support the bill only if it’s amended to require at least 100/20 Mbps speeds. Wilson said she’s open to raising the floor to 100/20 Mbps and lowering the price ceiling to $30 if it helps pass the bill. Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D) said she couldn’t support the bill because of worries about its unintended harms to low-income residents. Nguyen suggested waiting until April to see what happens with ACP. The California Emerging Technology Fund supported the bill, but USTelecom, CTIA, Wireless Infrastructure Association and the state cable association opposed it. “Attempting to rate regulate the industry ... does not resolve federal inactivity” to renew ACP, said Amanda Gualderama, California Broadband and Video Association legislative and regulatory director. USTelecom lobbyist Yolanda Benson noted that Congress earlier that day introduced a bill to fund ACP (see 2401100056). Broadband prices have declined without government invention, she said. Also, the committee voted 10-1 for a bill that discourages Californians from calling state agencies’ toll-free numbers. AB-1135 wouldn’t force agencies to decommission their 800 numbers but would require they advertise local area code numbers instead, said sponsor Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D). He said California spends $7 million annually for toll-free numbers, even though most residents have phone plans with unlimited minutes. The government pays only when someone uses the 800 number, so encouraging use of toll numbers would save cash, he said. Toll-free numbers remain important for those still relying on landlines, said The Utility Reform Network lobbyist Ignacio Hernandez. The consumer advocate is glad the bill wouldn’t get rid of toll-free numbers, but believes it should direct agencies to continue displaying them as an option.
Southern state lawmakers stressed their concern for kids’ safety as they supported bills Thursday to require age verification for social media and pornography websites. At a Florida House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee, Chair Tyler Sirois (R) defended banning children from social platforms even if their parents would allow it. During a South Carolina House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee hearing, the state's attorney general, Alan Wilson (R), strongly supported blocking kids from porn websites.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities voted 4-0 to clear a settlement resolving the board’s Altice service quality probe (docket CX21020139). At the livestreamed meeting Wednesday, commissioners also voted unanimously to authorize staff to submit New Jersey’s digital equity plan to NTIA by Friday. Altice had pledged to spend $11 million on its network and make other broadband adoption, network resiliency and customer service commitments (see 2312210077). “We really look forward to the improved service that we will see going forward with Altice,” said BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. Staff recommended approving the “just and reasonable resolution” to the board’s investigation, said Cable and Telecommunications Director Lawanda Gilbert. The cable operator values its longtime relationship with New Jersey, an Altice spokesperson said. More broadband access is a big benefit of the deal for Altice customers, said New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel Director Brian Lipman: Continuing talks among Altice, the division, municipalities and the board "will ensure that the parties work together to provide [Altice's] customers with the broadband services they need."