CenturyLink will respond by Jan. 17 to network service-quality concerns raised by Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy, the carrier’s spokesperson said Friday. Kennedy wants CenturyLink CEO Jeff Storey to answer questions at the state commission’s February meeting, she said in a Dec. 6 letter to ACC Chairman Bob Burns. “It appears that there is a trend toward cost-cutting at the expense of the customers you serve,” Kennedy wrote in a Dec. 5 letter to Storey. The Democratic commissioner said she wants the executive to come to Phoenix to discuss public health and safety concerns. “There are at least five open dockets at the Commission, most of which relate to CenturyLink’s failure to provide safe, adequate and reliable service,” she said. “Over the past three months, the Commission’s Consumer Services Division has received 60 consumer complaints, focusing mainly on billing, quality of service, and repair. This uptick in complaints in such a short period of time, without any apparent reason, is also unprecedented.” Commission staff efforts to work with CenturyLink on issues have been unsuccessful, she said.

California commissioners probably won't vote on T-Mobile/Sprint until March, even though carriers want it to happen Feb. 6 (see 1912230041), Tellus Venture Associates President Steve Blum blogged Thursday. T-Mobile's desired date would require the California Public Utilities Commission to propose a decision in early January. “Anything is possible, but I would bet against it,” wrote Blum. “My guess is that the CPUC will wait for [California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D)] to weigh in, and I don’t think that will happen until there’s a verdict in his federal court challenge.” The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York hears closing arguments in that case Jan. 15. The verdict "could happen in time for a draft to be published and make it onto the commission’s 27 February 2020 agenda, but that’s optimistic,” said Blum.

Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority plans to respond at its Jan. 15 meeting to a surge in pole-attachment applications causing delay. The agency Monday asked parties to file any exceptions or present oral argument by Jan. 10 to a proposed interim order in docket 19-01-52 that would “authorize applicants to employ third-party contractors to perform surveying and engineering work in order to mitigate the delay by the Single Pole Administrators (SPAs) in completing this task.” SPAs would have to preapprove contractors, and within 30 days of the interim decision should file a list of preapproved contractors and a procedure for qualifying contractors not on the list, PURA said. PURA also ordered SPAs to develop engineering templates, forms and guidelines for applicants and contractors. “Application fees associated with pre-engineered applications will need to be reduced to more accurately reflect the SPA’s investment in time and resources,” so within 60 days of the interim order, SPAs must file “a consensus, non-discriminatory application fee structure for pre-engineered pole attachment applications,” PURA said. “The fee structure shall be designed such that the applicant can determine the appropriate fee based on objectively quantifiable criteria (e.g. number of poles) and submit payment contemporaneously with the pre-engineered application.” Pole riders had sought rule changes to deal with the rush of applications (see 1906270027).

New Mexico legislators shouldn’t tweak state USF structure, size or purposes, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission recommended in a report sent to the legislature Friday. “No need” to raise the $30 million cap, which sufficiently covers current demands and possible future increases, the agency said in docket 19-00046-UT. “The Commission’s focus at this time is on increasing participation in the fund, particularly the participation of small, rural carriers, as the Commission does not believe that the fund is currently meeting their needs as well as it could.” The agency is mulling a rule change “to increase the number of applications that it receives for Broadband Program support,” including by “potentially decreasing or eliminating the 25% per-project matching amount that the Commission currently requires program awardees to fund from their own pockets.” The PRC may need to do outreach to small rural carriers “who simply may lack the resources to design projects and applications for broadband funding though the areas they serve are in need,” it said. CTIA had urged the New Mexico agency not to recommend USF changes (see 1911010022).

AT&T must show cause why it shouldn’t be found in contempt or violation of California Public Utilities Commission rules for refusing to comply with and maintain 911 tariffs with the agency, said CPUC Administrative Law Judge Karl Bemesderfer in a Friday ruling in docket R-18-03-011. The ALJ required AT&T to respond in writing by Jan. 6 and appear at a Jan. 23 evidentiary hearing in San Francisco. The commission usually fines $500-$50,000 for violations, said Bemesderfer. “In addition to imposing monetary fines, penalties, and holding a utility in contempt, the Commission can do all things necessary and convenient in the exercise of its power and jurisdiction.” The carrier didn’t comment Monday.

The FCC Wireless Bureau approved SI Wireless' request to relinquish eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation in Tennessee, effective Jan. 6. “SI Wireless contends that other ETCs provide Lifeline service throughout the service area,” the bureau said Friday: Universal Service Administrative Co. confirmed that.

The Montana Public Service Commission proposed clearing the sale of Frontier Communications' northwestern states telecom assets to Northwest Fiber. Commissioner Bob Lake (R) posted the proposed order Thursday in docket 2019.06.039 that adopts this month's settlement (see 1912040050). “Northwest Fiber has provided evidence of its extensive experience managing regulated telecommunications operations; has represented that rates will not change as a result of the Transaction; has committed itself to significant upgrades in Frontier Montana’s existing network; and that it will continue to honor Frontier Montana’s various [Connect America Fund] CAF Phase II program commitments,” says the draft. Parties have 20 days to file exceptions, then another 10 days to respond to any exceptions; if no exceptions are filed, the commission “will hold a work session within 30 days” to decide, it said. “The full Commission would need to vote on the proposed order and any exceptions filed thereon,” a Montana PSC spokesperson emailed. “We could likely get that scheduled the final week of January or the first week of February,” with an order to follow one or two weeks later, he said. FCC bureaus OK’d the deal Thursday (see 1912190086).

Oppositions are due Jan. 3, replies Jan. 13 in docket 17-310 on petitions for reconsideration of FCC rural telehealth rules and Alaska cost recovery rate mechanisms, said Thursday's Federal Register. USTelecom, Alaska, Alaska Communications and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition had petitioned (see 1911130022).

Alaska regulators are mulling broad telecom rule changes, as required by a 2019 state law, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska said Wednesday. RCA seeks comment by Jan. 17, replies Feb. 3, said an order opening docket R-19-002. The law relieves telcos from some obligations.

New York state banned telemarketers from knowingly making unsolicited sales calls during a declared state of emergency. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A-117A Wednesday, his office said.