The Wireless Bureau rejected Kaumana Hawaiian Homes Community Association's request for a waiver of FCC rules to allow it to apply for a 2.5 GHz overlay license under the tribal window. Based on the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ list of federally recognized tribes, none are in Hawaii, which means no entities there were eligible to apply for the available spectrum, the bureau said Thursday. Kaumana “provides no rationale or explanation for why it warrants waiver of the Commission’s Rural Tribal Priority Window rule defining eligible entities,” the bureau said: “Kaumana does not assert that the purpose of that rule would be frustrated absent a waiver nor that grant of a waiver would be in the public interest” and “makes no assertion that it was subject to unique factual circumstances.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau said a second group of 2.5 GHz band license applications filed during the rural tribal priority window passed initial review and moved forward for filing. “These 57 applications are now one step closer to obtaining access to this prime mid-band spectrum to help address the connectivity needs of their rural communities,” the FCC said Tuesday. The window to apply closed Sept. 2 (see 2007310066).

A Georgia Public Service Commission race appeared headed to a runoff after GOP incumbent Bubba McDonald’s vote share fell below 50%, the minimum for winning outright. McDonald led with about 49.9% of the vote against Democratic challenger Daniel Blackman’s 47%, showed unofficial results Monday. A runoff would be Dec. 1. The race had been narrowing since last week’s election (see 2011060057) as results steadily improved for Democrats, putting President-elect Joe Biden in the lead there and forcing runoffs in two U.S. Senate races. The Louisiana PSC has a Dec. 5 runoff race between GOP Chairman Eric Skrmetta and Democrat Allen Borne (see 2011040043).

The New York Public Service Commission should renew state USF for two years under a settlement that the New York Department of Public Service reached with Verizon, small ILECs, the Public Utility Law Project (PULP) and others, PULP said Friday in docket 15-M-0742. After “protracted negotiations,” the “normally adversarial” parties reached agreement on the joint proposal, which “represents a measured response to the problems identified in the record, and advances the public interest,” the consumer advocate said. State USF will expire Dec. 31, so the proposal would renew it for two more years from Jan. 1. Contributors would pay $6.25 million in 2021 and $6 million in 2022, with any unused funds from the previous term to be carried over, the proposal said. Parties agreed not to seek to expand the contribution base until after Dec. 31, 2022, and the contribution method will be the same revenue-based method from 2019, it said. PULP Executive Director Richard Berkley expects the New York PSC to take up the item at its December meeting, he said.

A Georgia Public Service Commission election narrowed sharply Friday and could be headed to runoff. Incumbent Bubba McDonald (R) had 50% of the vote Friday afternoon, showed Georgia's unofficial results data. That’s more than the 46.9% for Democratic opponent Daniel Blackman, but Georgia requires runoffs if no candidate exceeds 50%. In a separate race, incumbent Jason Shaw (R) tweeted victory as challenger Robert Bryant (D) conceded on Facebook. Shaw had 50.2% of the vote to Bryant’s 46.1% Friday. Incumbent state commissioners mostly held seats in Tuesday’s election (see 2011040043).

The California Public Utilities Commission overhauled enforcement in a unanimous vote, the commission said Thursday. It includes guiding principles on enforcement approaches, actions, settlements and setting penalties. “This policy will make our enforcement programs stronger, more effective, and more consistent,” said Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen. It prioritizes disadvantaged communities, said Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves.

Charter school operator Concept Schools agreed to a $4.5 million settlement to resolve allegations it rigged bidding for E-rate contracts 2009-2012, DOJ said Tuesday. The company allegedly selected technology vendors for its network of charter schools in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio without competitive bidding, and those vendors provided equipment at a higher price than the FCC approved. Concept Schools allegedly “failed to maintain sufficient control over equipment reimbursed by the FCC, some of which was discovered missing.” Concept agreed to enter an FCC compliance program, the release said. “E-Rate contractors and schools receiving E-Rate funds must understand and know that actions that undermine the contracting process, such as conspiring to rig competitive bidding, will not be tolerated,” said FCC Inspector General David Hunt. The settlement was a coordinated effort by DOJ, the FCC IG office, FBI and Department of Education IG office. Concept Schools didn’t comment.

Emergency dispatchers in the nation's capital appear to be struggling with properly sending ambulances to scenes where help is needed, radio traffic we observed via OpenMHZ showed Tuesday. In routing ambulances to a motor vehicle accident and to a separate report of an apartment building fire, there appeared to have been delays of about five minutes each. This all occurred around 2 p.m. EST. A 911 dispatcher was told by ambulance staff, five minutes after the apparent dispatch of rescue personnel, that "we have not been dispatched. It doesn’t say anything." The ambulance employee suggested to the 911 center operator that "you can resend it, and then we can be on our way." That then occurred. In the response to the fire report, an ambulance sent there said it was instead on a different call and couldn't go to the new scene. There have been technological problems at the city's 911 center after a possible tech or equipment upgrade or update (see our Oct. 30 report here). "8 days after the disastrous upgrade & 1 week after the great meltdown DC 911 still can't keep track of what ambulances are available," tweeted local emergency communications expert Dave Statter. "This is delaying 911 help. Many @dcfireems units are still having tablet issues." We observed similar as well. Washington, D.C.'s Office of Unified Communications, which runs the 911 center, didn't comment last week or Tuesday. For more information on any technical or equipment issues occurring in recent days at OUC, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request Tuesday. Local police continue to say they are unaffected by any issues. Representatives for D.C. Fire and EMS, city council Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chair Charles Allen (D), and interim Deputy Mayor-Public Safety and Justice Roger Mitchell didn't comment Tuesday.

AT&T completed the sale of its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America for $1.95 billion cash. The deal was announced more than a year ago (see 1910090005). “The transaction includes employees; network assets and spectrum; real estate and leases; customers, including more than 1 million wireless subscribers; and contracts,” AT&T said Monday.

U.S. District Judge Jon Levy of Portland granted summary judgment (in Pacer, docket 20-cv-00168) in Charter Communications' favor on the cable operator's challenge of Maine's law requiring prorated refunds of cable TV subscription cancellations, as the two sides sought (see 2010290039).