The California Public Utilities Commission asked for additional topic ideas for the second phase of its disaster relief proceeding (see 1911200002). Parties should file recommendations by Jan. 7, said a Wednesday ruling by the assigned commissioner, President Marybel Batjer, and Administrative Law Judge Colin Rizzo, in docket R18-03-011. “Phase II will focus on having a resilient and dependable communications network that aids first responders and allows the public to communicate in a reliable manner, as well as consider fines and citations with non-compliance to our orders,” it said.
California privacy advocates plan to collect signatures for a ballot initiative to tighten the California Consumer Privacy Act, said Californians for Consumer Privacy. Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) released the title and summary for the California Privacy Rights Act Tuesday. It needs 623,212 registered voter signatures to get on 2020’s ballot (see 1909260013). State Senate Majority Leader Robert Hertzberg (D) supported the effort: “What we’ve realized is that we need to create a strong and effective privacy protection agency that will stand the test of time.” The AG collected comments for a CCPA rulemaking this month (see 1912160047).
Utility companies are voluntarily and proactively facilitating the collocation of small-cell wireless technology on utility-owned street lights, but some collocation will require cooperation among multiple stakeholders, Xcel Energy posted Tuesday in FCC docket 17-84. Because street lights may be installed, owned and maintained by a variety of entities, converting a street light into a small cellsite can require cooperation among the street light customer, a municipality, an electric utility and the wireless provider, it said. "To the extent that an attacher is concerned about the lawfulness of a particular standard adopted by a specific utility ... this is best resolved in an as-applied, case-specific context, rather than through an overly broad petition for declaratory ruling." Xcel and Georgia Power executives met last week with Wireless Bureau staff. The utility industry wants the FCC to deny a CTIA petition for a declaratory ruling to remove barriers to wireless deployment (see 1911200033).
No localities were encouraged to refuse to negotiate local cable franchise modifications, just to wait until the cable operator had contacted the local franchising authority, localities lawyer Gerry Lederer of Best Best said in a docket 05-311 FCC filing Tuesday to be posted. He said NCTA (see 1912160033) "grossly" mischaracterized an alert emailed to local government clients.
CenturyLink is exploring whether it can get state broadband grant funds to help defray the cost of rebuilding a Florence, Colorado, wire center damaged by flooding in mid-July 2018, it said Monday in FCC docket 19-69. Qwest, which does business as CenturyLink, filed an application of emergency impairment in September 2018 and has filed extensions since then, including the further request posted Monday. "The most efficient path to service restoration remains dependent on the reconstruction of critical infrastructure in the area," it said, noting an unstable road not expected to be rebuilt soon. CenturyLink supplied affected customers with free satellite phones and will transition customers to subsidies for voice and broadband service from HughesNet or Viasat.
The California attorney general’s office released privacy comments due Dec. 6 in its California Consumer Privacy Act rulemaking. The office posted more than 1,700 pages across seven PDF files on its CCPA website. We requested them Dec. 6 via the California Public Records Act, and reported on filings sent to us (see 1912060047). Monday, the office didn't say if more filings are to be posted later.
The Wireless Bureau approved Arctic Slope Telephone Association Co-op’s and GCI’s revised performance plans in response to the FCC’s 2016 Alaska plan order (see 1608310067). The bureau approved the initial plans three years ago. The Wireline Bureau ended biennial review. Circle Telephone & Electric and Bush-Tell can maintain wireline services at existing levels, the staff said. The bureau approved revised performance obligations for Mukluk Telephone and Arctic Slope for participation in USF. The items on docket 16-271 were in Friday’s Daily Digest.
Consumer advocates in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania decided "no further action is warranted" from Verizon on an application even though they were unable to determine the number of customers who would be impacted, in a letter posted Thursday in FCC docket 19-235. The advocates want Verizon to provide more comprehensive information in future filings to "avoid unnecessary confusion and diminish concerns on the degree of customer impact these filings implicate." They want Verizon to notify state commissions earlier and more directly. The company didn't comment Friday.
It’s in “everyone’s interests” that 5G benefits be “clearly and consistently communicated,” said Opensignal Thursday. “Diverging 5G deployment and marketing strategies risk leading to 5G consumer confusion,” said the mobile analytics firm. It worries polarization could develop between carriers offering “very wide 5G reach but slower mobile network experience” and others “delivering on pockets of extremely fast high-capacity.” Confused consumers “may hold off adopting 5G ... and carriers may end up not seeing the returns on their 5G investments that they expect.” New streaming services “will force operators to rethink their mobile video strategies,” said Opensignal. Verizon's recent offer of a free year of Disney Plus to existing 4G and 5G unlimited-data customers typifies carrier aggressiveness, it said. Such new streaming services “will force operators to take a closer look at their network optimization practices and their caching systems to ensure consumers have a great mobile video experience at high resolutions,” the firm predicted. Smartphone owners in states that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 will have a "better mobile experience" than those that went for Donald Trump, said Opensignal. The average download speeds in blue states is 19 percent faster than those in red states.
The Rural Utilities Service takes applications Jan. 31-March 16 for a second round of ReConnect broadband funding, says Thursday's Federal Register. Applicants must demonstrate financial and technical feasibility of a project. Feedback or comments on the pilot are due March 16.