Frontier Communications service quality needs improvement in New York state, said a Public Service Commission staff report released Friday. Staff became concerned in 2018 “due to increased PSC complaints and inquiries from local, county, and State government representatives, including emergency response entities, regarding long repair durations and repeated out-of-service conditions, as well as Internet access and speed issues,” it said. Staff sought data but found accuracy issues that “reflect negatively on company methods and procedures impacting the generation of the data used to calculate its service quality results.” While gathering data for the agency, “Frontier discovered that it had omitted a number of customer trouble reports from the routine monthly service quality data it had reported for years,” staff said. “Although the company did resubmit three years of corrected data, the full extent and history of this problem has not yet been developed.” Frontier continues “to work cooperatively with the Commission to address their questions on Frontier’s reporting methods and procedures," said Kenneth Mason, senior vice president-federal regulatory affairs, in an emailed statement.

California should align suspension of renewals for its low-income program with federal Lifeline, said commenters Thursday on assigned Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma’s proposed decision in docket R.20-02-008. California proposes suspension until June 17, but the FCC recently extended its suspension to June 30. Assurance Wireless, a T-Mobile subsidiary after the Sprint deal, supported the proposal but noted an apparent “conflict between the FCC’s and the CPUC’s suspension periods and associated de-enrollment rules.” That may be “easily avoided by aligning the federal and state renewal suspension periods.” The Greenlining Institute and other consumer advocates suggested the CPUC make the LifeLine suspension last either as long as the federal freeze or the governor’s order suspending renewal requirements of public purpose programs, whichever is longer.

Nevada doesn’t seem to adequately oversee counties’ use of 911 fees, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly alleged in a letter released Thursday to Division of Emergency Management Chief Justin Luna. O’Rielly followed up on the FCC’s 2019 report that at least one Nevada county diverted the revenue in 2018 (see 1912190077). “States have flexibility in how they structure their 9-1-1 systems, and while Nevada has implemented a relatively decentralized 9-1-1 system, there needs to be some semblance of cohesion throughout such a system to ensure emergency call centers are being properly funded and that Nevada consumers are not being deceived or ripped off by their government(s),” said the commissioner. “Such cohesion seems to be lacking in Nevada.” O’Rielly asked why the state didn’t submit fuller information about counties’ practices and if it could improve for the next report. Luna didn't comment.

There mightn't be clean resolution on what authority the Regulatory Commission of Alaska retains after a 2019 state deregulation law, said commissioners at the RCA’s virtual, teleconferenced meeting Wednesday. Regulators are mulling broad telecom rule changes due to SB-83 (see 2001170047). First up, the commission will consider its power over access charge ratemaking at its June 10 meeting, said Chairman Bob Pickett. “Does the commission have a legitimate role in this or is it just a rubber stamp?” The commission will mull its authority over eligible telecom carrier designation for federal USF at the June 24 meeting, state USF on July 8, interconnection and joint use dispute resolution July 22, telecom relay service Aug. 12, and transfers and discontinuances Aug. 26, said the chairman. “It’s time to get things together quickly.” Pickett doesn’t “want to try to expand our authority under SB-83,” but the commission needs “specific language for the regs coming out of each of these discussions on what the commission will do and won’t do,” he said. Carriers don’t agree on the access charge ratemaking authority issue “or virtually any of the others,” noted Commissioner Stephen McAlpine. “The state of confusion that exists is going to require the commission at some point to just go forward, issue regulations as we can best interpret them, and let the chips fall where they will.” Carriers can “pursue whatever mechanism they see fit to straighten it out,” he said. Commissioner Daniel Sullivan concurred, “This is going to be sorted out one way or the other, maybe at some point legally.” The RCA clearly needs more clarity from the legislature, said Commissioner Antony Scott. “We really don’t know what they meant.”

The FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. plan a computer matching program with Nevada to verify eligibility of applicants to Lifeline through the national verifier database, says Wednesday's Federal Register notice. Comments are due June 12. The 18-month program will launch then unless the agency determines otherwise through comments.

Small rate-regulated LECs could seek loans for capital projects and to pay operating and other expenses during the pandemic, under a draft resolution up for a California Public Utilities Commission May 28 vote. “Due to the financial stresses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including unexpected unemployment suddenly being experienced by a growing number of Californians, utility bills are not being paid by many utility customers, resulting in insufficient cost recovery by the utilities,” said the proposal released Friday. “Some are facing financial situations that make it difficult to pay their employees and other expenses.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) vetoed a proposed digital tax Thursday, citing pandemic-related unemployment and financial struggles. The Association of National Advertisers applauded, after calling for veto and raising the specter of litigation (see 2003170057). The legislature can overturn the veto with a two-thirds majority.

Consumer advocates challenged T-Mobile/Sprint's conditional OK by the California Public Utilities Commission (see 2005010048). The commission ignored evidence that the deal will harm competition and public safety and isn't necessary to spur 5G deployment, said the CPUC Public Advocates Office, Greenlining Institute and The Utility Reform Network in a Thursday application for rehearing in docket A.18-07-011. "Because it is unlikely that the transaction can be unwound,” applicants asked the commission to grant rehearing and add conditions. T-Mobile didn’t comment Friday.

Kansas and Oklahoma projects got $71 million for rural fiber infrastructure from the ReConnect pilot, the Department of Agriculture said Thursday. “The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now” during the pandemic, said Secretary Sonny Perdue. Totah Communications got an $18.9 million loan and matching grant; KanOkla got $15 million/$15 million; Cross Cable Television a $2.2 million grant; and Carnegie Telephone a $1.2 million loan.

AT&T challenged a possible $3.75 million fine for not providing next-generation 911 in California. The proposed decision by California Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Karl Bemesderfer (see 2004020058) “would fine AT&T for failing to comply with a law that does not exist: a requirement to tariff ‘access to’ 911,” the carrier wrote Monday in docket R.18-03-011. The law requires tariffing of only basic service that “inherently includes access to 911,” it said. AT&T’s network engineering expert made no misrepresentations to the CPUC, the carrier said. It’s unlawful to fine for inadequately responding to the Communications Division’s letters, AT&T said. The proposed decision “fails to address the factors it legally must consider and dramatically overstates the duration of the alleged violations,” it added.