The Utah Public Service Commission plans a Nov. 28 virtual hearing on a Dish Wireless petition for eligible telecom carrier designation, the Utah PSC said Friday in docket 23-2641-01. Dish seeks ETC designation so it can provide Lifeline services. Also under the proceeding’s schedule, Dish must file supplemental direct testimony by Aug. 1 and other parties must file rebuttal testimony by Nov. 7.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission could resume reviewing LTD Broadband’s eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation soon. In a Friday notice (docket 22-221), the PUC sought comments by Aug. 11, replies by Aug. 21, on lifting a Jan. 18 stay on the proceeding and deciding the Minnesota Telecom Association and Minnesota Rural Electric Association’s petition to suspend LTD’s ETC designation for getting Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support (see 2303310054). The associations asked the PUC to suspend LTD’s ETC designation until the company can show the PUC it can meet obligations to serve about 102,000 locations.
New York state will make $20 million available to counties for emergency communications upgrades through the interoperable communications grant targeted program, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Friday. New York seeks to improve land mobile radio interoperability for public safety agencies within the state and in border states, the governor’s office said. Funding may be used for enhancing redundancy and resiliency of public safety radio systems, expanding coverage and frequency band capabilities of national interoperability channels and developing or enhancing shared radio and other systems, it said. Applications are due Sept. 8. “This grant funding will help ensure our communities across the state have the modern communication tools they need to act quickly and effectively to protect New Yorkers and save lives,” said Hochul.
Vermont and Michigan released draft plans for NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program Friday. The Vermont Community Broadband Board is seeking comments Aug. 2 on the state’s draft BEAD five-year action plan and Aug. 18 on volume one of its draft initial proposal. VCBB plans to release more BEAD and digital equity draft plans for comment later this summer and in the fall, it said. Vermont’s draft plan includes a Dec. 31, 2028, goal of at least 100 Mbps symmetrical broadband in 100% of currently unserved or underserved on-grid locations, and 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds in all off-grid locations. Vermont seeks 1 Gbps symmetrical speeds at all community anchor institutions by the same date, it said. Comments are due Aug. 4 on Michigan’s draft BEAD five-year-action plan and Aug. 15 on the state’s draft digital equity plan. The BEAD plan notes 30% of Michigan households lack affordable and reliable high-speed internet. The state envisions every Michigander having that by 2030, it said.
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska got wide industry support for making permanent its recently adopted emergency regulations for Alaska USF. Making them permanent would extend the AUSF sunset through June 30, 2026. The RCA received supportive comments in docket R-21-001 this week from Alaska Communications, Alaska Telecom Association (ATA), Alaska Remote Carriers Coalition, GCI, Ketchikan Public Utilities (KPU) and Matanuska Telecom Association. ATA said the RCA's actions to continue AUSF “are crucial in ensuring the provision of essential telecommunications services to rural areas in Alaska.” The RCA should adopt a change proposed by the Alaska Universal Service Administrative Company (AUSAC), some industry groups said. AUSAC urged the RCA July 13 to reinstate a reporting and remittance exception for de minimis carriers, which pay up to $100 annually. "Without the de minimis exception, additional time will be spent on processing paper reports and remittances from de minimis carriers as electronic payments are cost prohibitive for a carrier to remit $8 or less,” the administrator said. “AUSAC has had past experiences with carriers, who were unaware of the de minimis exception, taping coins to mailed remittance reports." KPU supported that proposed change unless it "would create unnecessary delay in adoption or otherwise risk disapproval by the Department of Law.”
The California Public Utilities Commission set a prehearing conference Aug. 3 on AT&T’s application for relief from carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations, CPUC Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola ruled Wednesday in docket A.23-03-003. The virtual hearing starts at 1:30 p.m. PDT. California consumer and county groups protested AT&T’s June 30 amended request to shed COLR obligations for most of the state (see 2307110036 and 2307070040).
The $4 billion available for closing California's digital divide, including broadband equity access and deployment program funds and those allocated by the state legislature, won't be enough to bring broadband infrastructure to all unserved locations, the state Public Utilities Commission said Monday in its draft five-year BEAD action plan. The agency said it also lacks enough money to address underserved locations as well as community anchor institutions lacking 1 Gbps service. Citing CostQuest cost modeling, the PUC said fiber-to-the-premises for all unserved locations would cost $9.78 billion. The PUC California's size also could make it a challenge for some BEAD-funded subgrantees to get their work done within the required timeline. Comments are due Aug. 7, replies Aug. 11, on the action plan, which is due to NTIA by Aug. 27.
Oregon will be the 12th state with a comprehensive privacy bill. Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed a SB-619 Tuesday. It takes effect in July 2024. It’s the first blue state to enact a privacy law in 2023 (see 2306220059). The Delaware legislature passed a privacy bill June 30 (see 2307030025).
VantagePoint asked the FCC to approve a transitional middle-mile plan in Alaska to "provide eligible Alaska Plan Phase 1 carriers the ability to commit to enhanced performance obligations with temporary transitional relief from ultra-high middle mile transport costs." It said the plan is "a logical step" to take before the FCC implements the Alaska middle-mile expense support (AMMES), per an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 10-90. VantagePoint noted that estimates for a three-year transitional middle-mile plan would constitute 25% of the Alaska Plan's available reserve funding, "leaving 75% for AMMES in Phase 2 of the Alaska Plan."
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission delayed voting on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to amend state USF rules until the commission’s Aug. 3 meeting. The PUC was scheduled to consider the item in docket L-2023-3040646 at Thursday's meeting.