“Regulations to check monopoly power that no longer exists make no sense,” the Ohio Telecom Association (OTA) told the state regulator Friday. The Ohio Public Utilities Commission received comments on a five-year review of retail telecom service rules (see 2311010060). "Regulations authorizing the review of prices and restrictions on withdrawal of services were a response to the ability of monopolies to extract excess profits or otherwise injure consumers through unfair practices,” OTA commented in docket 23-817-TP-ORD. “The monopoly provision of retail communications services, however, is a relic." In addition, some PUCO rules exceed the regulator's legal authority, the association said. One is the PUCO's asserted authority to review certain charges and fees related to special construction where a phone company must build facilities in certain circumstances to fulfill a customer's request for service, it said. “The rules that assert rate review authority over excess construction charges, late payment charges, or installation fees, and reconnection fees lack an express statutory basis.”

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission plans to vote Jan. 18 on state USF and Lifeline rule changes and Feb. 8 on other telecom rule changes, said notices of proposed rulemaking released Friday. Commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday (see 2311300057) to issue the notices on proposed revisions to Chapter 55 rules for telecom services (docket RM2023-000017), Chapter 56 rules for interexchange telecom service resellers (RM2023-000018), Chapter 57 rules for operator service providers telecom services (RM2023-000019) and Chapter 59 rules for Oklahoma USF and Lifeline (RM2023-000021). Written comments in the USF and Lifeline docket are due Jan. 9 and the commission will hold technical conferences Dec. 14 and Jan. 11. The commission sought written comments for all three other dockets by Jan. 15 and set technical conferences for Jan. 4 and Jan. 25.

Consumer advocates urged the California Public Utilities Commission in a virtual meeting Wednesday to dismiss AT&T’s petition to relinquish carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations, the CPUC’s independent Public Advocates Office and The Utility Reform Network said in an ex parte filing Thursday in docket A.23-02-003. The advocates discussed the PAO’s motion to dismiss with aides to CPUC Commissioners John Reynolds and Darcie Houck, it said. “As a matter of law and a foregone conclusion, with no need to determine facts at an evidentiary hearing, AT&T’s Amended Application cancels the safety net provisions of the Universal Service Rules adopted by the Commission and is incompatible with the state’s ongoing commitment to universal service.” TURN said AT&T’s request “is fundamentally about dismantling the cornerstone of universal service and AT&T has failed to provide an adequate basis for the Commission to consider such drastic action.” AT&T urged quick approval of COLR relief in a virtual meeting with a Reynolds aide last month (see 2311070043).

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission voted 3-0 at a Thursday meeting to post NPRMs on amending four telecom chapters of commission rules. The notices, which weren’t available immediately, will open proceedings on revising Chapter 55 rules for telecom services (docket RM2023-000017), Chapter 56 rules for interexchange telecom service resellers (RM2023-000018), Chapter 57 rules for operator service providers telecom services (RM2023-000019) and Chapter 59 rules for Oklahoma USF and Lifeline (RM2023-000021).

The California Public Utilities Commission set a Dec. 13 meeting in a rulemaking to consider changes to video franchise requirements under the state’s Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA). The agency will consider the proceedings scope, schedule and need for evidentiary hearings during the 10 a.m. PST pre-conference hearing, said Administrative Law Judge Margery Melvin in a Wednesday ruling in docket R.23-04-006. A 2021 law revised DIVCA to require the commission to adopt video and broadband customer service requirements and adjudicate customer complaints, Melvin said. “The Commission may also consider potential ways to modernize and make the implementation of DIVCA more efficient and effective.” In comments in June, the cable industry said there’s no need to revamp how it is treated under DIVCA (see 2306050051).

Texas Public Utility Commissioners unanimously backed a sweeping update to the state’s Chapter 26 substantive telecommunications rules at a Thursday meeting. Commissioners voted 4-0 for a staff proposal posted last week in docket 54589 (see 2311210054). The Texas Telephone Association applauded the decision. “This was a significant overhaul of telecommunications rules in Texas, paired with new rules for the implementation of sweeping legislative changes earlier this year,” TTA Executive Director Mark Seale wrote in an email.

Charter Communications plans to spend $1.3 billion to upgrade and expand broadband across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Thursday. “Texans who live across the big and beautiful reaches of our great state will have the same internet access that those in big cities do,” Abbott said. Charter said in a separate news release that it plans to spend $700 million to upgrade its Texas network to provide symmetrical and multi-gigabit speeds. The project will be “substantially complete” by the end of 2025, it said. Also, the cable company will spend nearly $620 million to expand the network to about 140,000 unserved and underserved locations, Charter said.

Half the 50 states submitted volume one of their initial proposals for the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, said NTIA’s Wednesday update to its proposal progress dashboard. Six states submitted both volumes, it said.

Noting a lack of objections to proposed tweaks to South Carolina USF rules, the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff urged the Public Service Commission on Tuesday to grant its petition in docket 2023-301-C. ORS asked to clarify certain USF procedures, including by specifically listing interconnected VoIP providers as USF contributors, incorporating a South Carolina confidentiality law and adding a deadline for contributors to dispute required contributions (see 2309280010). In the same petition, ORS seeks a waiver of USF guidelines so it can provide a refund to Cox subsidiary Palmetto Net for overreporting assessable revenue in a 2022 worksheet, which resulted in an overpayment.

The Utah Public Service Commission will decide by March 17 on Lumen’s petition for a statewide exemption from carrier of last resort (COLR) requirements for new customers, according to a its order Tuesday. Under the amended schedule, dispositive motions could be filed by Dec. 27. If motions aren't filed, the PSC plans to hold an evidentiary hearing Jan. 31 at 9 a.m. MST and a public witness hearing the same day at 5:30 p.m. MST. Utah’s consumer advocate last October opposed relieving Lumen’s CenturyLink of COLR obligations (see 2310200066).