A bill to update Arkansas telehealth rules could leave behind rural residents with slow internet connections, Teladoc said. The Legislature Thursday sent SB-146 by Sen. Cecilie Bledsoe (R) to Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) for his signature. Teladoc previously complained that Arkansas telehealth rules kept it from operating in the state, and advocated for state legislation (see 1701060017). “The bill in Arkansas represents an important step in the right direction,” a spokeswoman emailed Friday. “But this bill remains significantly inadequate: it requires a video interaction for the first remote visit -- even where not medically indicated. The result is that access is needlessly restricted. Areas of the state without reliable, wired broadband will not have access to telemedicine.” Bledsoe didn’t comment.
The Virginia Senate agreed to a House amendment to a small-cells bill (SB-1282) and sent the wireless-siting measure to the governor’s desk. The House voted Tuesday 97-0 to pass the bill, and Wednesday the Senate voted 32-4 to accept the House revisions. The legislation, which got support from CTIA and the Wireless Infrastructure Association, limits reviews of small-cell applications to 50 days and sets maximum fees for processing applications (see 1702100053).
Colorado counties plan to push more localities to hold ballot votes this fall to opt out of the state ban on municipal broadband, after legislation to repeal the ban stalled this week in the state Senate, Colorado Counties Inc. (CCI) Policy Director Eric Bergman told us. Under the law, communities may vote to give their local government authority to deploy broadband, and 26 localities voted to do so in November, joining 70 others (see 1611090024). Monday, a Senate committee voted 4-3 to indefinitely postpone consideration of the CCI-backed SB-42. Bergman said it’s uncertain whether CCI will push for another repeal of the ban next year, but this year, CCI wants the legislature to support another pending bill (HB-1174) to exempt rural counties with populations below 50,000 people from a state requirement that the county must first contract with a telecom provider before establishing a “local improvement district” to fund telecom service enhancements. “This will create one more tool in the toolbox for rural communities that are struggling to bring much-needed service and infrastructure to their unserved areas,” said a draft CCI fact sheet on the bill. Meanwhile, the Virginia Senate voted 35-3 Thursday to pass an amended muni-broadband bill (HB-2108) that -- while initially containing restrictions vehemently opposed by localities and community broadband supporters (see 1702100053) -- by Monday had their support after a Senate Committee stripped remaining areas of contention. The committee amended the bill to remove a clause on Freedom of Information Act exemptions and now the bill “no longer poses a threat to local and municipal broadband authorities,” said Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority CEO Frank Smith in a statement. “Instead it merely reasserts the very same laws and procedures in the Code of Virginia to which we all already operate and gladly adhere and abide.” A final House vote on the amended bill is likely Friday, said a Friends of Municipal Broadband spokeswoman.
CenturyLink said Ohio and Utah became the first states to approve its Level 3 buy, which it said also received clearance from Nevada. The Ohio and Utah approvals indicate "these states understand that this merger is focused on the enterprise business market and will create more services and opportunities for the combined companies' customers, employees and the communities we serve," said John Jones, senior vice president-public policy, in a release Tuesday. It said the DOJ and FCC are reviewing the deal (see 1702090035), which is expected to close by the end of Q3.
Sacramento will get a new area code, with 279 to be overlaid on the 916 region, the California Public Utilities Commission said in a Thursday news release. The 916 area code, created in 1947 as one of the state’s original three, was projected to run out of prefixes (the first three numbers after the area code) in Q1 2018, the CPUC said. Customers may be assigned the 279 area code starting in September.
The Vermont Public Service Board scheduled three public hearings on FairPoint’s proposed sale to Consolidated Communications. The hearings are Wednesday in Montpelier, Feb. 21 in St. Johnsbury and March 2 in Bennington, the Vermont Department of Public Service said last week in a news release. Commissioner June Tierney said it’s “a proceeding that will affect many Vermonters statewide.” The department “is committed to thoroughly reviewing the proposed merger to determine whether it is in the best interest of Vermonters,” said DPS Telecommunications and Connectivity Director Jim Porter. Consolidated asked for a quick Vermont review in a prehearing conference last month (see 1701190014). Comments at the FCC are due Monday.
The Connected City Advisory Board unveiled a guide for aspiring smart cities. The Wireless Broadband Alliance committee report provides information to governments developing connected-city plans, including factors to consider, what technology is required and case studies. “The CCAB’s Blueprint will enable cities to grow partnerships, and share essential knowledge that will essentially help better the lives of millions,” said Wireless Broadband Alliance CEO Shrikant Shenwai.
Alabama got three submissions on its FirstNet request for proposals seeking alternative radio access network plans, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Wednesday. The deadline was Jan. 31. “Over the next 90 days, these submissions will be evaluated based on specific requirements of the RFP and the technical requirements set forth by FirstNet,” ALEA said. FirstNet could release a decision in the next month or two on a vendor partner to build its network, with state outreach expected to be a big challenge (see 1702020056).
New York won settlements with two mobile app developers under investigation for failing to disclose data collection practices in privacy policies, said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a Thursday news release. AB Mobile Apps and Bizness Apps agreed to add clearly written privacy policies to apps, he said. The attorney general didn’t find that the developers misused personal information or disclosed it to third parties. “New Yorkers have a right to know if a company collects and uses their personal information,” said Schneiderman. “In an age where data itself has become a commodity, companies must post privacy policies in a way that clearly and conspicuously discloses their data collection practices.”
The California Public Utilities Commission denied a cable industry petition to extend the right-of-way rights of commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers to cable wireless facilities. Commissioners unanimously adopted at the CPUC’s Thursday meeting the decision to deny the California Cable and Telecommunications Association petition. The denial was expected, with CCTA trying to pull its petition before the meeting, but the CPUC rejected withdrawal because it said it was faster to deny the petition without prejudice (see 1702070018). While denying the petition, the decision says cable companies wishing to provide wireless services may do so by obtaining status as a CMRS carrier by filing a wireless identification registration. The decision didn’t address a similar petition by the Wireless Infrastructure Association to extend the CMRS right-of-way rules to wireless pole attachments by CLECs.