NARUC Conference Has Few Pandemic Relics

DENVER -- The first major in-person gathering of state telecom regulators from across the U.S. was much like NARUC's pre-pandemic gatherings. State commissioners, staffers, lobbyists, industry lawyers and executives, plus a few reporters, gathered in person at what one hotel employee described as the largest facility in Denver, with some 1,200 rooms and nearly 100% occupancy. Almost no attendees wore masks, and social distancing was inconsistently followed.

Participants said in interviews they felt fully protected by being vaccinated. They called it refreshing to see their colleagues in person. One departure from typical NARUC gatherings is that Telecom Committee events and other sessions had a hybrid element. A moderator and at least some panelists spoke from the front of the room, while some sessions had other speakers participating via video. Such remote speakers came from the FCC and industry, and their video images were projected on a big screen also used to show PowerPoint slides. One such virtual participant, Tilson Vice President-Utilities Elin Swanson Katz, told the audience she regretted she couldn't be there in person.

Those physically here said they had no health concerns about traveling to and from the conference and about attending it. Some looked forward to attending a Nov. 7-10 NARUC meeting in Louisville. They noted the association's mid-Atlantic affiliate convened last month in person at Nemacolin Woods in Farmington, Pennsylvania.

“I couldn’t be happier to be back in this environment,” NARUC President Paul Kjellander told us. “You can’t replace face-to-face interaction.” NARUC follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, he stressed. Attendees this week have different comfort levels, with some wanting to shake hands and others waving from a distance, he noted.

Colorado Public Utilities Commission staff and commissioners attended the conference in person partly since their headquarters is near the hotel, one NARUC staffer noted. The PUC sent about 10 staffers to the event, with four volunteers and three commissioners also attending, the agency's spokesperson said. Agency employees said they continue working remotely during the pandemic.

“Full staff has not yet returned to the office,” the spokesperson emailed. The headquarters is open by appointment to the public 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays "for those who need in person help with authorizations or complaints," she added. "All of our hearings and other commission meetings are still all done by Zoom, all of which are available through our webcasting system with links provided on our website."

MACRUC 'Sea Legs'

Several NARUC attendees also recently went to Pennsylvania for the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners gathering in late June. For them, MACRUC was their first in-person conference during the COVID-19 era, with NARUC the second.

Idaho commissioner Kjellander was one such person. MACRUC was “where I got some of my sea legs on this, because I have to confess, getting on the plane for the first time in 18 months is an odd experience,” he told us by phone from this conference. The Republican said he got his vaccination as soon as he could, so he feels comfortable in Denver. “I don’t feel as skittish as I might have been two weeks ago.”

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission staffer Joseph Witmer, who attended MACRUC, said "it’s wonderful to see people and discuss issues in person." He noted NARUC and MACRUC COVID-19 safety policies were similar. Witmer, who has been inoculated, said he had no hesitation about going to the events. The counsel to PUC Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, Witmer noted he was speaking only for himself.

This trip to Denver was PUC Chairman Chris Nelson's first out of South Dakota since COVID-19 hit the U.S., and his first conference, though he said he attended some larger meetings in his state. It's "absolutely terrific to be here and see many colleagues have come out," he said, describing NARUC attendees as "upbeat." Nelson (R) had no concerns about flying or other transportation, he said. "Either the vaccine means something or it doesn’t." Though breakthrough infections are possible for those who have been vaccinated, "the odds are in our favor" with the shots, he said.

Remote Work

All except for one state telecom agency we asked reported working remotely.

At the PPUC, "we’re still working remotely," Witmer noted. "With the gradual reopening of state office buildings in Pennsylvania, the PUC Offices in Harrisburg will reopen for Commission employees and visitors on Monday, August 2nd," emailed an agency spokesperson Tuesday. "The Commission remains fully operational and discussions about in-person meetings, remote work and other related issues are ongoing."

The South Dakota PUC has been doing all business as normal since June, and was entirely remote March-June 2020, said Nelson and a staffer. All staff worked "from the office in the Capitol from June 15 to Oct. 16, 2020," emailed Deputy Executive Director Leah Mohr. Then staff and commissioners returned gradually, sometimes working on staggered days and at one point during the worst of the pandemic in December with only a few staff and one commissioner in the office at any time, said Nelson.

For the past two or so weeks, no active coronavirus cases were reported in the county where the agency is, Nelson said. State health representatives didn't comment. Nelson is "very pleased that most of our staff said they prefer coming into the office," he said of the PUC. Almost all those employees "don’t have the commute issue” faced by those in metropolitan areas.

California Public Utilities Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen didn’t travel to NARUC. He told us by videoconference that he's surprised how many people quickly embraced an in-person event. Rechtschaffen said virtual interactions have limitations -- especially for networking. “I personally had other commitments here at the commission that made it difficult for me to travel, and at the point where we had to make plans [there] was uncertainty about COVID, so I chose to participate virtually.” Rechtschaffen would like NARUC to “continue in a hybrid mode because not everyone can attend, and I think we get a broader and more diverse set of participants both among commissioners and stakeholders,” while saving “tremendous travel costs.”

Safety Steps

At the Sheraton Denver Downtown, some but not all areas for the conference had hand sanitizing machines approximately every 20 feet. The room where the Telecom Committee met didn’t appear to have such a sanitizer dispenser. However, chairs were placed several feet apart in the audience section. NARUC didn't comment.

Like some other telecom and technology conferences that we've tracked during the pandemic, this conference didn't require temperature checks or other health screening. The hotel and NARUC did require social distancing and masks for those who have not been inoculated. All the precautions reflect CDC guidelines, attendees noted.

The hotel has been having conferences for a few months, according to a front desk staffer, starting "as soon as restrictions were lifted." Denver lifted some restrictions in May, she said. A hotel representative to whom further questions were directed didn’t reply to our voicemail message and spokespeople for Marriott didn’t return our emails Tuesday. Denver health officials also didn’t comment.

Overall, this hybrid format is going “exceptionally well” with a mix of virtual and in-person speakers, and it’s been good to see people again, said Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Commissioner Michael Caron. He said he feels comfortable attending because he's vaccinated. Earlier, he moderated a panel at NARUC on the emergency broadband benefit, where a Comcast representative said he appreciated being in "3D" with others (see 2107200059).

Editor's note: This is part of our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on telecom and associated sectors. Our July 20 article on courts returning to regular operations is here and another on virtual oral arguments is here. Surveys of convention plans are here and here. Our latest update on virtual congressional hearings is here. Our most recent update on FCC pandemic transparency is here. And an update on recent days on the agency's eventual physical reopening is here. Also see our NARUC preview here.