Electing Georgia Public Service Commission members on a statewide, at-large basis “unlawfully dilutes the votes of Black citizens under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and must change,” U.S. District Court in Atlanta ruled Friday. In an opinion in case 1:20-cv-02921-SDG, Judge Steven Grimberg blocked Georgia’s secretary of state from preparing Nov. 8 election ballots with PSC contests for districts 2 and 3. Also, Grimberg stopped the secretary from administering any future elections for PSC vacancies, or certifying the elections of any commissioners, using the election method the state has had since 1906. The court understands that the General Assembly doesn't next meet until January, wrote the judge. "Consequently, this Order shall remain in effect until a method for conducting such elections that complies with Section 2 is enacted by the General Assembly and approved by the Court, or is otherwise adopted by the Court should the General Assembly fail to enact such a method.” Georgia's attorney general office said it's "reviewing the order." The secretary of state's office referred us to the AG and PSC for comment. The Georgia PSC declined to comment.
Revised draft rule changes on emergency service network reliability will be due Sept. 7, Colorado Administrative Law Judge Conor Farley said at a partially virtual hearing Friday. State 911 Program Manager Daryl Branson said workshops involving industry and other stakeholders are nearly complete. The group has been seeking consensus on changes meant to improve basic emergency service (BES) network reliability and set a tariff-based mechanism for funding network improvements (see 2206090050). Two more workshops are scheduled for Aug. 9 and 16, Branson said. Farley, Branson and parties agreed to deadlines of Sept. 19 for comments and Sept. 30 for replies on the upcoming revised draft rules. The PUC would then have a public comment hearing 11:30 a.m. Oct. 13, the ALJ said.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission voted 3-0 for wildfire mitigation rules for utility poles, at a virtual meeting Thursday. A 2021 state law required PUC regulations. The Oregon PUC order will include a 25% surcharge that electric utilities may assess to pole-attaching entities for repairs or remediation of ignition risk on collocated facilities. CTIA and the Oregon Cable Telecommunications Association (OCTA) sought a 15% surcharge or limiting the 25% surcharge to certain poles or types of problems, said a PUC memo on proposed rules: Staff recommended keeping it at 25% to incentivize companies to fix issues quickly but also to allow a waiver process. Commissioners agreed. Also, the PUC supported CTIA’s suggestion that complaints filed by utilities should include an explanation about how a claimed violation is causing increased wildfire risk. And it agreed with OCTA to clearly require utilities to contact third-party equipment owners before determining facilities are abandoned.
Pacific Gas and Electric is creating “unnecessary and unwarranted delays and expenses” for Dish Network as it builds a 5G wireless network in California, Dish said in a complaint posted Wednesday by the California Public Utilities Commission. Dish must get power from PG&E for cellular equipment on towers and rooftops, but since Aug. 1 the power company changed its interpretation of the Electric Rule 16 and started requiring cellular carriers to pay for new consolidated power service points on towers, said the Dish complaint in docket C.22-08-002. That especially affects Dish because it's "in the process of deploying hundreds of sites throughout the state as part of its efforts to meet an FCC-mandated nationwide wireless build,” it said. "Because of PG&E's unlawful rule change, DISH would be required to convince its competitors (i.e. existing facilities-based cellular carriers) to re-wire their cellular equipment and to pay for all equipment necessary for them to obtain power from the new consolidated service point on the tower." PG&E is reviewing the complaint, "and will respond within the process that the [CPUC] sets forth," said the utility's spokesperson. A Crown Castle official noted barriers to getting power for California 5G facilities at NARUC's conference last month (see 2207180021).
The California Public Utilities Commission should consider affordability metrics in the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) and other communications proceedings, California Public Utilities Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen said Thursday. The CPUC voted 5-0 at a livestreamed meeting to apply an affordability framework across its regulated utilities (docket R.18-07-006). Communications companies resisted adopting metrics for their sector (see 2207290007 and 2207110030). “Affordability in the communications context is a little bit different and a little bit more complicated because there are multiple providers and different types of communications services,” said Rechtschaffen. “We don’t regulate them the same way we regulate our gas and electric and water utilities, but it’s nonetheless an essential utility service in today’s society and economy, and we need to understand the affordability challenges faced by vulnerable, low-income communities … in this space.” Also, the CPUC voted 5-0 to adopt a consent agenda including a proposed order to allow AT&T to discontinue residential landline service in Frontier Communications territory (see 2207210010).
A federal grant won by Ohio for workforce development includes funding for the state’s broadband and 5G sector education partnership, the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) said Wednesday. The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded $23.5 million to Ohio and OMA through its $500 million Good Jobs Challenge. The 5G partnership includes Ohio State University and the Wireless Infrastructure Association (see 2205180059).
New York state awarded $100 million in emergency communications grants to 57 counties and New York City through the Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant (SICG) program, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Wednesday. It included $90 million in SICG formula-based grants and $10 million for public safety answering point operations, the governor’s office said.
Microsoft showed its state digital equity scorecard to the FCC Wireline Bureau Friday, the company said Tuesday in docket 22-69. “Microsoft’s objective is to provide state policymakers with tools to better understand their digital equity landscape to better target broadband funding where it is most needed and to help prioritize digital skills training,” it said about the scorecard. Digital skills data should be collected at the state and national levels, said Microsoft. The company plans to update the dashboard after the FCC releases its broadband maps, it said.
State attorneys general formed an anti-robocall task force Tuesday. North Carolina’s Josh Stein (D), Ohio’s Dave Yost (R) and Indiana’s Todd Rokita (R) will lead a bipartisan, 50-AG coalition to investigate and litigate telecom companies that bring foreign robocalls into the U.S. and violate state and federal laws, said Stein: The task force will “hold companies accountable when they turn a blind eye to the robocallers they’re letting on to their networks so they can make more money.” The group issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers, the AG said. Rokita said, “If the telecom industry won't police itself, this unprecedented task force will.” Yost said the illegal calls “are worse than mosquitoes, pesky and annoying,” and the AG coalition “will be a nationwide bug zapper.”
North Carolina awarded $30.8 million to expand broadband to 13,000 households and 582 businesses in 11 counties, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said Monday. The state’s Department of Information Technology gave Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology grants to Charter Communications, French Broad Electric Membership Corp., RiverStreet Networks, Windstream and Yadtel/Zirrus. The grants were funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The department said it will share more details about applications and individual grant awards once it completes the review process and releases awards this month.