Alaska and North Carolina had spikes in broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) on the FCC map after the federal agency’s May 30 update, the states said last week. Some other states told us the national map improved but still needs work (see 2306130041). “As a result of our commitment to work as a team with the FCC,” the Alaska broadband office saw 61,000 BSLs added to the national map for its state, a spokesperson said Thursday. “The Alaska Broadband Office is optimistic that the NTIA will consider the unique nature of Alaska when calculating” its broadband, equity, access and deployment funding allocation. The North Carolina broadband offices’ nearly 43,000 challenges to the FCC map helped find 115,000 more homes and businesses lacking access to high-speed internet, the state’s information tech department said Thursday. “This more accurate picture will help us more effectively and efficiently close the digital divide to help North Carolinians get online for telemedicine, education, services and business,” said Gov. Roy Cooper (D).

The Pennsylvania House passed bills to fund 911 and 988 calling services Wednesday. Members voted 121-82 for HB-1304, which would hike the $1.65 surcharge for 911 to $1.97 in 2024, with it going up each year after based on the consumer price index. The House voted 113-90 for HB-1305, which would establish a 988 fund and levy a fee of 6 cents on mobile and IP voice service lines starting in 2024, with the fee going up each year at the same rate as the CPI. The bills passed committees last week (see 2306070027). On Tuesday, the House voted 203-0 for a bill (HB-1138) to exempt mobile telecom from the state’s sales and use tax and gross receipts tax.

Washington state regulators slapped Lumen with nearly $1.32 million in penalties for a December 2018 outage that resulted in at least 13,000 dropped or incomplete 911 calls. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission issued a final order Friday in docket UT-181051. "CenturyLink committed at least 13,000 violations of” a state rule “by failing to render prompt, expeditious, and efficient service; to keep its facilities, instrumentalities, and equipment in good condition and repair; and to ensure that its appliances, instrumentalities, and services are modern, adequate, sufficient, and efficient,” said the Washington UTC, assessing $100 per violation. Also, the UTC assessed $1,000 for each of 15 violations of a separate state regulation requiring telecom companies to promptly notify the commission and affected public safety answering points. “The service disruption lasting 49 hours and 32 minutes in December 2018 was a serious health and safety threat to Washington state residents,” the UTC said. “CenturyLink failed both in its obligations under statutory provisions and Commission rules to adequately manage and provide 911 service.” The penalty was lower than the $7.2 million penalty sought by Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) in 2021 (see 2112160048). Lumen cooperated with the state commission’s investigation, a Lumen spokesperson said Monday: “We know that when someone calls 911, seconds count, and we take that responsibility seriously.”

Gov. Greg Abbott supported a Texas broadband fund Friday. The Republican signed HB-9, the companion bill to a constitutional amendment that would set up a fund to provide $1.5 billion over two years (see 2305300057). Voters will consider the amendment Nov. 7.

The California Public Utilities Commission refused to rehear a decision fining T-Mobile $3.59 million for allegedly misleading the agency about its CDMA transition during the state's Sprint merger review. The carrier in December sought rehearing of the CPUC’s Nov. 7 decision (see 2212080019 and 2211030064). Rehearing isn’t warranted, said a CPUC order issued Friday (docket A.18-07-012). “T-Mobile did not make it clear and unambiguous that it intended to shut down the CDMA network before the expiration of the three-year migration period,” the commission said. “It was reasonable for us to interpret T-Mobile as committing to operate the CDMA network for three years.” The commission also stood by its penalties calculation, saying it was correct that Verizon’s failure was a continuing violation that caused harm to the economy and regulatory process. "We continue to strongly disagree with the CPUC’s flawed conclusions," a T-Mobile spokesperson said Monday. "We stand by our prior statements to the CPUC and are considering options for next steps."

Don’t waive penalties for Verizon's failing to move more than 170,000 TracFone customers to its network in California, said Center for Accessible Technology and The Utility Reform Network in a Friday letter. The consumer groups urged the California Public Utilities Commission to deny Verizon’s request for another year to migrate customers. It’s “a transparent attempt by Verizon to avoid the mitigation conditions, including fines, imposed in the decision approving the merger and escape the consequences of its own inaction,” wrote CforAT and TURN: The carrier appears to be “insufficiently committed” to the migration. CforAT legal counsel Paul Goodman told us about his group’s concerns earlier last week (see 2306080055).

The West Virginia Public Service Commission received a settlement proposal in a pole attachments case. Frontier Communications, Monongahela Power and Potomac Edison (MP/PE), Citynet, Micrologic and West Virginia PSC staff filed a joint stipulation on the pact Friday in case 22-0885-T-E-SC. The agreement responded to commission scrutiny about duplicative processes slowing pole-attachment application reviews (see 2302280046). “The Stipulating Parties undertook extensive discussions and meetings in an effort to resolve the issues raised by [PSC] Staff,” they said. They didn’t address every pole-attachment process issue and “reserve the right to bring those issues in a separate proceeding,” the parties said. Before the settlement can become final, PSC legal staff must respond and the commission must decide to approve or deny the agreement, an agency spokesperson said Monday.

Georgia tagged nearly $15 million for broadband expansion in a second round of Capital Projects Fund grants, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said Monday. The preliminary grant awards are meant to connect more than 3,500 locations, the governor’s office said. Windstream received more than $8.5 million combined for projects in three counties. Georgia city Colquitt got the rest, winning nearly $6.3 million for a project in Miller County.

Wireless and internet industry groups sounded alarms in Ohio as senators weigh what to include in the state budget. One HB-33 amendment under consideration (Page 143) by the Senate would remove wireless broadband from definitions of tier one and tier two broadband services for the purposes of getting grants. The Wireless ISP Association “is disappointed to see the Senate considering taking a step backward on its broadband expansion grant program by removing wireless broadband providers from grant eligibility,” WISPA State Advocacy Manager Steven Schwerbel told us Friday. “This amendment would mean that the state will not be able to fully consider all factors that influence broadband needs in Ohio. Federal programs like [NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment program] are already putting their thumbs on the scale when it comes to funding broadband expansion. Cutting wireless out of the state grant program means that BroadbandOhio will lose the flexibility to fill in the gaps where those federal dollars can’t or won’t flow, and make sure that every Ohioan has access to reliable, high-speed broadband.” Meanwhile, the Computer and Communications Industry Association sent a letter to senators protesting a section in HB-33 that would require social websites to verify users’ ages and require parental approval. “While we share the concerns of the Ohio State Senate regarding the safety of young people online, we encourage Senators to resist advancing Sec. 1349.09 of HB 33 which is not adequately tailored to this objective,” wrote CCIA State Policy Manager Jordan Rodell.

The Louisiana State Legislature passed a bill to update Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) grant rules. The House voted 97-0 Thursday to agree with Senate amendments to HB-653 (see 2305250048). The bill will go to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D).