State Rep. De’Keither Stamps (D) appeared to have the edge Wednesday in a rematch with Mississippi Public Service Commission incumbent Brent Bailey (R). But Bailey, who narrowly defeated Stamps for the same seat in 2019, hadn’t conceded as of Wednesday afternoon. The New York Times showed Stamps leading 50.5% to 49.5%. Bailey continues to monitor results, the commissioner said in a statement. “While we are hopeful that there could be a favorable tranche of vote numbers to come in and swing the results, we are also realists. But we are going to hang in there until every last vote is vetted, counted and appropriately certified.” The Republican added, “The fight is not over. The fight will likely never be over.” Stamps didn't comment. Each candidate told us before the election that he wanted to ensure all their citizens have internet access (see 2311010043). Developer Nelson Carr (R) and State Rep. Chris Brown (R) will also join the PSC after running uncontested. Carr defeated incumbent Dane Maxwell (R) in the primary. If the results hold, Stamps would be the lone Democrat on the three-member body. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) defeated Democratic challenger Brandon Presley, who was formerly NARUC president and a Mississippi PSC member. Reeves won 51.6% of the vote, Presley 47%. That’s despite Presley getting 79% of the vote in Hinds County, which includes Jackson, Mississippi. Reeves signed off on an executive branch broadband office in 2022 (see 2204150013). Earlier this year, the Republican approved a bill to transfer robocall enforcement authority to the state AG office from the PSC (see 2303230027). Stamps co-sponsored both bills as a state representative.

The California Public Utilities Commission granted Verizon one more year to comply with a condition in the CPUC’s Verizon/Tracfone OK to migrate Tracfone customers to its network, the carrier reported to the email service list for docket A.20-11-001 Wednesday. Verizon now has until Nov. 22, 2024. CPUC Executive Director Rachel Peterson in July had denied the carrier's request “on the grounds" it was “ambiguous and failed to identify any strategy changes that the company might pursue to ensure a successful customer migration process,” she said in a letter. But a revised Verizon request filed Sept. 28 “remedies the deficiencies in its prior request and demonstrates good cause,” she said. “Verizon identified additional measures it is implementing to achieve the customer migration … including ‘concierge’ live customer service support, instructional videos, and leveraging the TracFone Rewards program.” A CPUC administrative law judge last week delayed a related proceeding on an Oct. 6 petition by Center for Accessible Technology to modify the CPUC Verizon/Tracfone approval because Verizon, CforAT and The Utility Reform Network (TURN) said they were nearing a settlement (see 2311060015 and 2311030008). “Delays are not neutral,” emailed Ashley Salas, TURN telecommunication regulatory and policy attorney. “The extension means some of TracFone’s consumers will not receive any benefits from the merger for another year.”

Opposition to Lumen’s pact with Oregon Public Utility Commission staff on a successor price plan “largely ignores the tremendous amount of give and take reflected in the Stipulation,” Lumen Regulatory Affairs Director Peter Gose testified Tuesday at the PUC (docket UM 1908). The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB) and a Lumen landline customer opposed the settlement last month (see 2310250014). “Their position is also hyper-focused on approximately 100 residents of rural Jacksonville … rather than on all 4,100 'Protected Customers' statewide.” Opponents “seem content to let the new statewide protections be scrapped in favor of indefinitely retaining” previous Jacksonville protections that weren’t meant to be permanent, he said. Lumen won’t move forward with the settlement if the PUC’s previous Jacksonville orders are retained, said Gose. Oregon PUC staff urged the commission to approve the agreement. “Despite the objections and testimony of the Intervenors being focused almost exclusively on the impact to the Jacksonville, OR area, the agreements affect all CenturyLink Oregon customers and the Stipulating Parties recognize the importance of improving service quality across the state, which is why the Protected Customer class encompasses over four thousand customers, greatly expanding the scope beyond Jacksonville,” Senior Utility Analyst Russ Beitzel testified.

The California Privacy Protection Agency may act Dec. 8 on proposed insurance regulations and establishing a data broker registration fee, the CPPA said Monday. The meeting agenda also includes an update on draft rules for automated decision-making technology, risk assessments and cybersecurity audits.

AT&T said progress is too slow at the California Public Utilities Commission on the carrier’s request to be relieved of carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations (docket A.23-03-003). AT&T met virtually Friday with aides to CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds, said an ex-parte filing posted Tuesday. AT&T said “timely resolution of the COLR proceeding is critical to achieving key economic, social, and environmental goals” and will hasten the company’s transition from copper to fiber and wireless broadband. The carrier filed the application eight months ago and expected the CPUC would have issued a scoping memo by now, it said. Since it filed, AT&T “lost tens of thousands of its remaining [plain old telephone service] residential lines,” it added. Public advocates have urged the commission to dismiss the AT&T-sought relief for most of the state (see 2307280036).

The California Public Utilities Commission seeks comment on a staff proposal setting state LifeLine specific support amounts (SSA) and minimum service standards (MSS), Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Wang said Monday. File comments by Dec. 6 and replies by Jan. 9, the ALJ ruled. The Oct. 30 staff proposal would provide an SSA up to $20.75, increase the wireless broadband allowance MSS to 25 GB from 5 GB, and increase the wireline broadband speed MSS to 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload from 25/3 Mbps currently. For wireless, staff proposed a “dynamic approach” in which a Lifeline participant would move between two tiers “automatically based on their monthly data consumption without need for action.” Tier 1 would give 5 GB of data with a fixed SSA of up to $10.75, while Tier 2 would provide 25 GB of data and 10 GB hot spot data with a fixed subsidy of up to $20.75. "Staff set the subsidy at $20.75 so that when combined with the $9.25 federal LifeLine subsidy, California LifeLine participants are eligible for a total subsidy of $30 as with the ACP plan,” it said. "Service providers may not throttle speeds … except in accordance with reasonable network management practices, such as during an emergency where first responders require priority above other customers.” For wireline, staff proposed setting a voice-only tier SSA that would equal the lesser of $20.75 or 55% of a wireline service provider’s combined rate and end user common line charge. "The SSA floor would be $10.75 so that service providers with lower basic residential rates will provide and market robust offerings to CA LifeLine participants." For a second tier bundling voice and broadband, staff proposed a fixed $20.75 SSA. Staff said MSS for a foster youth program would generally be the same as proposed for the regular LifeLine wireless program. But since foster youth under 18 are ineligible for federal Lifeline support, staff proposes having California Lifeline make up the difference, "assuming that the amount is equal to or less than the current $9.25,” it said. Also, while the main program unsubscribes participants after they don't use it for 45 days, the foster program would switch participants to an "emergency service access plan" with 3 GB of wireless data and unlimited voice and text. Service providers would get a $10 monthly subsidy for each person on the emergency plan, it said. No co-pays would be required from foster youth.

North Carolina wants comments by Dec. 5 on both volumes of its initial proposal for the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, the state’s Department of Information Technology said Monday. North Carolina plans to submit the proposal to NTIA by Dec. 27, the department said. “We are moving forward as quickly as we can to put this funding to work and address a critical need for internet connectivity across North Carolina,” said Deputy Secretary-Broadband and Digital Equity Nate Denny. California Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola sought comments Tuesday on CPUC staff drafts for initial proposal volumes one and two. Comments are due Nov. 27, replies Dec. 7 (docket R.23-02-016). The CPUC plans to make its extremely high cost per location threshold “as high as feasible to ensure greater fiber coverage while also prioritizing the federal statutory goal of complete coverage of unserved locations, followed by underserved locations and Community Anchor Institutions,” said the second volume.

An administrative law judge delayed until Dec. 1 the deadline to respond to Center for Accessible Technology’s Oct. 6 petition to modify the California Public Utilities Commission’s 2021 decision approving the Verizon/Tracfone deal. Nearing a possible settlement, Verizon and CforAT last week sought a pause in the proceeding regarding the carrier’s challenges with migrating Tracfone customers still using non-Verizon networks (see 2311030008). Since the CPUC won’t issue a proposed decision by Thursday, the commission won’t be able to decide the proceeding this year, noted ALJ Thomas Glegola in Friday’s email ruling in docket A.20-11-001.

Consolidated Communications missed an Oct. 31 deadline to provide more details about a proposed rate center consolidation in Maine (see 2309220060). “Consolidated is preparing the data and believes it will be able to file” Nov. 13, Consolidated Vice President-Government Affairs Sarah Davis said in a letter Sunday to the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

The Utah Public Service Commission should OK a settlement that would approve Dish Wireless’ application for eligible telecom carrier designation, officials for Utah’s Division of Public Utilities and Office of Consumer Services said at a virtual hearing Friday. Approval would let Dish provide Lifeline service in Utah. In the Oct. 13 settlement (docket 23-2641-01), Dish agreed to additional requirements including to make a Utah-specific fact sheet for consumers to know what service they will receive, comply with all applicable Utah customer protection requirements, report to the division on any plan changes, and pay USF and emergency fees, said Ronald Slusher, DPU utilities technical analyst. Approval would lead to a just and reasonable result and is in the public interest, said Alex Ware, OCS utility analyst. Administrative Law Judge John Delaney said the PSC will “issue an order in due course.” A Utah PSC spokesperson emailed, “The PSC will consider the settlement stipulation and issue a written order at a later date.”