The FCC Wireline Bureau authorized Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I support for 466 winning bids, said a public notice Wednesday. BEK Communications, Clay County Connect, Connect2First, Cumberland Connect, Easton Utilities, Farmers Mutual Telephone, Gibson Connect, Net Ops Communications, PGEC Enterprises, Pine Cellular Phones, Point Broadband Fiber, RC Technologies and Union Telephone were authorized.

T-Mobile "unequivocally denies" it made false or misleading statements or "otherwise violated” California Public Utilities Commission rules during T-Mobile/Sprint review, the carrier told the CPUC Monday. Before a Sept. 20 hearing on Dish Network’s complaint about T-Mobile shutting down its CDMA network, T-Mobile responded to an order saying the carrier may have misled the agency (see 2108160021).

The California Legislature passed a broadband bill Friday about agency coordination on conduit deployment. The Assembly voted 76-0 and the Senate 38-0 for AB-41. It awaits gubernatorial OK. A bill (AB-1349) to add nonprofit religious organizations to the eligibility list for California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband adoption grants failed because the Assembly didn’t vote to concur with Senate amendments. Senators passed it 37-0 Friday. The legislature passed other broadband bills (see 2109100035).

The Michigan Public Service Commission declined ExteNet's request to update pole attachment rules (docket U-20980). Commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday for an order to let current regulations stand. The commission said it’s important to quickly resolve disputes and “encourages the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules and Administrative Law Judges tasked with presiding over attachment complaints and disputes to employ flexibility in the application of the ‘reasonable’ timeline standard ... and ensure compliance with the 180-day dispute resolution timeline contained in the federal Pole Attachment Act.” Telecom companies supported and electric utilities opposed ExteNet’s petition (see 2106110035). ExteNet declined to comment Friday.

Bills to extend and enlarge the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) will go to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), after the Assembly voted 60-7 Thursday to concur with Senate amendments to AB-14. The legislature cleared Senate companion SB-4 earlier that day despite industry resistance (see 2109090049). Newsom declined to comment Friday. His office was involved with the bills and he's expected to sign before an Oct. 10 deadline. The bills, contingent upon each other's enactment, would include extending the CASF by 10 years and raising the surcharge cap to $150 million yearly from $66 million. “Both houses have approved a historic investment to close the digital divide,” Assembly sponsor Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D) said Thursday. “Broadband for All is one step closer to becoming a reality,” said sponsoring Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D). SB-4 and AB-14 “get the money correct, but fall short on critical upgrades to a state that is more dependent than ever on broadband infrastructure,” emailed Mike Montgomery, executive director of CALinnovates, an advocacy group with partners including AT&T and Uber. “What is really needed is to focus spend on delivering services to underserved communities in need, coupled with wraparound education to encourage uptake in these communities.” Consumer Reports Senior Policy Counsel Jonathan Schwantes applauded lawmakers Friday “for taking action to help bridge the digital divide.” Also Thursday, the Assembly concurred with Senate amendments to AB-74 to require various California LifeLine enrollment and recertification processes. The Senate concurred with Assembly changes to SB-28 to increase CPUC authority to check if state video franchisees are deploying enough broadband and to SB-341 on telecom outage reporting (see 2109080071).

Industry groups that sued Florida for its social media law said Friday they're mulling next steps in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a similar law Thursday. “We’re exploring our options,” emailed a NetChoice spokesperson. The group had said a lawsuit was possible; see our report here. The Computer and Communications Industry Association “is exploring all legal options to ensure industry has the necessary tools to protect Internet users from malicious actors online,” its spokesperson wrote. The Internet Association, which didn’t sue Florida but filed a brief supporting CCIA and NetChoice’s challenge, declined to comment. Thursday, NetChoice, CCIA and IA condemned the law as unconstitutional. Texas Democrats and industry tried to stop the bill to prohibit larger platforms from blocking, deplatforming or otherwise discriminating against users based on viewpoint or location (see 2109030048). The law is about protecting free speech, Abbott said. Social websites “are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely,” he said, “but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas." TechNet’s Texas Executive Director Servando Esparza countered Friday that the law “recklessly forces companies to leave objectionable content in the public eye or otherwise face huge liability risks, and it limits how email service providers protect users form an influx of spam emails.”

The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously supported expanding eligibility requirements for a California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband adoption program that provides computing devices to households that complete digital literacy training. Commissioners voted 5-0 for the proposal in docket R.20-08-021 as part of their Thursday meeting consent agenda.

CTIA opposed keeping a moratorium on voice disconnections through at least 2021. The California Public Utilities Commission adopted the COVID-19 disconnection policy in December (see 2012170066) and the executive director extended it in July. CPUC members plan to vote Sept. 23 on an Aug. 19 draft resolution (M-4857) for further extension. “Whatever the lawfulness of a short moratorium, requiring wireless providers to serve customers without payment for a year or more is preempted rate regulation,” CTIA commented Wednesday. Extending the COVID-19 policy is unnecessary because California’s economy is much better and “multiple new state and federal programs are providing direct monetary support ... as well as subsidies for wireless plans that offer both voice and broadband service,” the association said. The Utility Reform Network and Center for Accessible Technology supported the resolution: “Because the Draft Resolution continues the moratorium without addressing the rates charged for specific services to specific customers, it cannot be construed as rate regulation.”

The California Public Utilities Commission delayed until Sept. 23 votes on items about Lifeline and enforcing conditions for Frontier Communications’ bankruptcy reorganization, showed a hold list released Tuesday. They were previously scheduled for Thursday’s meeting. The CPUC’s independent public advocate last month sought a delay in updating California LifeLine wireless minimum service standards until the commission considers the impact of the federal Lifeline MSS increasing Dec. 1 to 18 GB (see 2108270049). The CPUC previously delayed the Frontier item, originally scheduled for the Aug. 19 meeting, after Frontier said the proposal would violate the law and the Constitution (see 2108060021). Frontier declined to comment Wednesday.

California Assembly members voted 60-0 for more telecom outage reporting Wednesday. SB-341 by Sen. Mike McGuire (D) would direct the Office of Emergency Services to adopt rules for public mapping telecom outages and share information with the California Public Utilities Commission. The bill would require telecom providers that provide 911 access to post outage maps on their websites and codify recent CPUC 72-hour backup power requirements for telecom providers. SB-341 next returns to the Senate to concur with Assembly changes. The legislature was expected to have voted later Wednesday on California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) update bills SB-4 and AB-14. A Supporter, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, warned that “several legislators intend to vote no on SB 4/AB 14 this week, potentially dooming the bills.” EFF later blamed legislator defections on cable opposition. CPUC Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves earlier warned that the cable industry might be trying to distract legislators from the CASF bills (see 2109070050). "For those of my colleagues who want to stick with the status quo, multi-billion dollar corporations deciding when they will grace Californians with service, they will have to answer to their constituents and be judged by history," said AB-14 sponsor Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry in a statement emailed to us. SB-4 sponsor Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D) sought to rally legislators’ support, saying that “these bills are critical to ensuring the state can provide greater access to high-speed broadband to Californians, especially in unserved and underserved communities throughout the state.” Tracy Rhine, senior legislative advocate for supporter Rural County Representatives of California, expected a close vote, particularly on SB-4, with details about the CASF surcharge up for contention.