State Public Advocate Slams T-Mobile/Sprint Pact With CETF in CPUC Review
Public advocates opposed T-Mobile’s agreement with the California Emerging Technology Fund to end CETF’s opposition to the carrier’s Sprint buy at the California Public Utilities Commission. The agreement, which included $35 million for CETF, failed to appease other opponents (see…
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1904170027). The CPUC Public Advocates Office said Tuesday that what CETF and T-Mobile did “is procedurally improper and seeks relief that is not allowed by law.” If it’s a settlement, they failed to follow CPUC rules requiring “notice of the agreement, public settlement conferences, reasonableness requirements,” and the commission’s public interest test, the office said in docket 18-07-011. The agency should hold more evidentiary hearings to “determine whether there is any basis for the facts and figures and dollar amounts listed in the Agreement,” or order parties to follow proper procedure, it said. While supporting efforts to close the digital divide, the office said parties didn’t “sufficiently describe what these programs do, the amount of money necessary to properly fund them, who operates them, or any other details about them.” The Greenlining Institute and The Utility Reform Network jointly raised similar concerns. The kerfuffle could mean further delay to the review, Tellus Venture Associates President Steve Blum, local government consultant, blogged Wednesday. “One possible outcome is that the administrative law judge managing the CPUC’s review could order new hearings to delve into the details of the agreement.” The agreement is a "very good deal" for the "digitally disadvantaged," CETF President Sunne McPeak said in an interview. CETF filed its agreement the same way it and others have done on past mergers, while providing more detail than others have, McPeak said. CETF contacted TURN, the Public Advocates Office and others before submitting the pact, she said, saying CETF was set up to be accountable to the legislature and CPUC. T-Mobile didn’t comment.