CPUC to Vote June 29 on Text Messaging, Pole Attachment Rulemakings
The California Public Utilities Commission plans to vote on proposed rulemakings about SMS classification and telephone poles at its June 29 meeting, said an agenda released Monday. Commissioners will vote on a proposed decision to open a rulemaking responding to…
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a CTIA petition asking whether text messaging is a telecom service that must pay into state USF and other programs. CTIA sought a CPUC ruling that SMS is an information service that need not pay the USF and other fees, but consumer groups responded it’s a telecom service that should pay fees (see 1705150040). Commissioners will vote on a draft order to open a proceeding “to consider strategies for increased and nondiscriminatory access to poles and conduit by competitive communications providers, the impact of such increased access on safety, and how best to ensure the integrity of the affected communications and electric supply infrastructure going forward.” The CPUC would investigate feasibility of a data management platform to allow sharing of pole attachment and conduit information, the draft said. Also, the agency will consider rules to allow broadband internet access service providers to attach facilities to poles and use conduit after their classification as public utility telecom carriers in the FCC 2015 net neutrality order, it said. And it will consider conduit rules and better pole management practices. The commission said it will merge the new proceeding into an existing matter on whether to apply right-of-way rules of commercial mobile radio service providers to wireless facilities installed by CLECs (see 1705040057).