A West Virginia administrative law judge must rule by July 27 on T-Mobile's transferring Boost Mobile customers to the Dish Network as part of its proposed Sprint buy, said the West Virginia Public Service Commission. The commission referred docket 19-1230-C-PC to the ALJ division Tuesday. Commission staff recommended OK earlier this month (see 2001100025). Once assigned, the ALJ will set a procedural schedule including a deadline for intervenors to contest the case, a PSC spokesperson told us Wednesday. A contested case would require hearings and briefings, but the proceeding could move faster if there isn’t opposition, and staff’s quick OK recommendation might portend sooner resolution, she said. T-Mobile, which had expected to close the deal early this year, declined comment. T-Mobile needs clearance from two federal courts and the California Public Utilities Commission.
Washington state House members shared a plethora of questions Wednesday about the Senate’s proposed privacy bill, especially on enforcement and facial recognition. “This bill is not yet scheduled for executive session, so we have some time to work on it,” said Innovation, Technology and Economic Development Committee Chairman Zack Hudgins (D), concluding the hearing livestreamed from Olympia. “I have a list of about 20 items that I heard come up over and over again that we need to look at.” Members may not “love every word,” but the bill’s basic concepts are important, said Rep. Shelley Kloba (D), sponsor of the bill’s House version (HB-2742). Rep. Norma Smith, the committee’s ranking Republican, asked Microsoft Senior Director-Public Policy Ryan Harkins to explain why the company doesn’t support a private right of action here even though Microsoft Corporate Vice President Julie Brill seemed to support a limited such right at a recent U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing (see 1912040045). Hudgins said he had the same question, but citing time constraints, told Harkins and other witnesses to answer members’ questions later in writing. Witnesses raised concerns about the bill instead opting for enforcement by the state attorney general. Hudgins sees a “spectrum” of enforcement options, not a “binary” choice. Smith asked the Washington State Association for Justice if it has suggestions to trim the exemptions list, which she said exceed the pages devoted to consumer rights. Kloba asked Consumer Reports Policy Analyst Maureen Mahoney for more detail on her comment that there’s widespread noncompliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act. Members asked academic witnesses to get back to them about facial recognition queries. Smith asked how the bill would apply online, since it deals mainly with use on physical premises. Rep. Gael Tarleton (D) asked for more on how individuals use that technology. Rep. Vandana Slatter (D) asked about a facial recognition moratorium sought by the American Civil Liberties Union and others, including how long it would last and if studies would continue. The hearing was "to begin the discussion on the policy and to recognize the positive work done over the interim, ahead of the bill being voted out of the Senate," Hudgins emailed stakeholders Tuesday. "The legislature has less than half the time this short session to keep up with the rapid and evolving discussion on privacy. I hope to be a 'fast follower' of the Senate discussion so as to accelerate progress in the House." He and Smith told us the chambers remain at loggerheads (see 2001170021).
The Supreme Court denied Facebook certiorari Tuesday in a class-action lawsuit claiming its face-scanning technology violates Illinois privacy law. TechFreedom and Consumer Data Industry Association urged the court to strike down the suit, in Facebook v. Nimesh Patel et al., No. 19-706 (see 2001060012). The company declined to comment.
The Rural Utilities Service is investing $11 million to support broadband projects in rural Minnesota and Iowa as part of ReConnect, it said Friday. Money goes to Harmony Telephone, Osage Municipal Utilities and Consolidated Telephone. It directs another $5.7 million to Eastern Nebraska Telephone for rural broadband.
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulatory authority over rates, terms and conditions of access to and use of utility poles starts March 18. The state distributed Saturday’s edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin Friday, including the pole-attachment rules, as expected (see 1912300023). Pennsylvania will join about 20 states and Washington, D.C., that reverse pre-empted FCC pole-attachment authority. West Virginia also will, effective Feb. 3.
A 2019 Alaska law deregulating telecom "reserves adequate authority” for the Regulatory Commission of Alaska’s “core duties related to the authority granted by a certificate and the authority to designate and annually certify eligible telecommunications carriers,” and it retains RCA authority to oversee state USF, a rural telco coalition commented Friday in docket R-19-002. Regulators are mulling broad telecom rule changes due to the state law (see 1912190057). The RCA doesn't retain authority to adjudicate consumer complaints, though staff could convey "any complaints to utilities as a courtesy to consumers,” the RLECs said. The commission should reject staff proposals to adopt a new definition of basic residential local telephone service and more stringent outage reporting rules. Carriers report outages to the FCC, said Adak Telephone, Alaska Telephone, Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative, Ketchikan Public Utilities, Matanuska Telephone Association and others.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) released $1 million earmarked for the Civic Information Consortium, Free Press said Thursday. Murphy earlier froze funding to the nonprofit proposed by Free Press to promote local journalism (see 1903220031) and will release the remaining $1 million later in the year, Free Press said. “The consortium has a lot of work to do to address the news-desert crisis in communities across the state, particularly in our rural areas and in communities of color,” said consortium board member John Celock. “The governor’s release of these funds is an important step for us to start our work.”
Connecticut commissioners unanimously cleared a pole-attachment interim decision meant to reduce delay by allowing attachers to employ third-party contractors for surveying and engineering work to mitigate delay by single pole administrators and ILECs (see 2001100037). The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will take additional time to address improving the make-ready process, it said. Chairman Marissa Gillett, Vice Chairman John Betkoski and Commissioner Michael Caron signed the decision in docket 19-01-52.
Union workers and local governments applauded New York City for tightening subcontractor transparency rules for new mobile telecom franchise agreements. The city’s Franchise and Concession Review Committee voted Tuesday for a requirement that companies subject to franchise agreements must annually file with the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications a report on worker safety conditions. Communications Workers of America “uncovered numerous instances of telecom subcontractors causing fatal gas explosions and utility hits that negatively impact public infrastructure and resources and require public employee staff time to investigate and resolve,” CWA District 1’s Bob Master said in a Wednesday news release. “These agreements will enhance transparency and accountability,” and should be replicated by other cities, he said. NATOA General Counsel Nancy Werner supported enhanced transparency: “The increasing demand to install facilities in our public spaces makes it more important than ever that local governments have the tools and information they need to protect public and worker safety as well as our local infrastructure.” Companies subject to the new agreements include AT&T, Verizon, Altice, Crown Castle, ExteNet, Transit Wireless and ZenFi Networks.
State House Republicans floated a universal-service bill Tuesday to permit Indiana's Utility Regulatory Commission to require interconnected VoIP providers pay into state USF. Rep. J.D. Prescott and two others introduced HB-1304. It would authorize IURC to adjust the state USF surcharge percentage and make other rules to administer the fund. The bill adjusts broadband rules.