The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will likely vote Monday on proposed changes to inmate calling service (ICS) rules, including lowered rate caps, New Mexico PRC Associate General Counsel Russell Fisk told us Thursday. At a virtual meeting Wednesday, Fisk described at length a draft order that would reduce an existing cap of 15 cents per minute on intrastate rates to 12 cents for state prisons and 14 cents for large local jails (docket 20-00170-UT). Commissioners decided to hold off voting Wednesday. The FCC sent letters in 2020 to about half the states asking them to update ICS rules, but not to New Mexico because its rule was already “pretty good,” with existing rate caps close to what the FCC was considering, Fisk said. The PRC still decided to update its rules to account for recent technological changes since its inmate calling rules were made a decade ago, he said. The PRC might need to act again in one to two years in response to expected further FCC changes, he said. Reducing the intrastate rate cap to 12 cents will help the state “keep pace” with recent FCC rule changes, said New Mexico PRC staff in Sept. 30 comments (see 2210030053). The state attorney general’s office supported lowering rates, while ICS provider ViaPath said its rates already were below the existing cap. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) must soon choose three commissioners to replace the current five elected commissioners Jan. 1. New Mexicans voted on Nov. 5, 2020, to switch to a governor-appointed commission (see 2011040043). “We anticipate an announcement from the governor’s office soon,” a PRC spokesperson emailed Wednesday. The nominating committee OK'd nine candidates Dec. 2 for the governor’s consideration. The governor’s office didn’t comment.
Two federal judges noted recent Georgia political developments as they pushed back on arguments that the Georgia Public Service Commission election violates 1965 Voting Rights Act Section 2 protections against racial discrimination. The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard oral argument Thursday on Georgia’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that electing PSC members for specific districts on a statewide, at-large basis illegally dilutes Black residents' votes (see 2210200035). The Supreme Court in August postponed Nov. 8-scheduled Georgia PSC elections, reversing the 11th Circuit's 2-1 decision to reverse the U.S. District Court in Atlanta.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission is preparing for the NTIA broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, after receiving planning funds, Chair Dan Watermeier (R) told state senators Tuesday. The Nebraska Senate Transportation and Telecommunications Committee heard updates on state broadband and 911 upgrade efforts at a livestreamed hearing. Earlier that day, PSC commissioners opened a docket to administer Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) broadband support through the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program (NBBP).
Maine broadband officials are “moving at lightning speed,” while “trying to be strategic,” as they attempt to close the state’s digital divide, said Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) President Andrew Butcher Friday at the partially virtual Maine Broadband Summit. The state still has much work to do to make sure the infrastructure is available to all and everyone can take “full advantage” of it, said Department of Community and Economic Development Commissioner Heather Johnson. Maine established the MCA last year (see 2106250068) to improve on ConnectMaine, the state’s previous broadband office, said Butcher and Johnson. ConnectMaine didn’t have the resources to complete the job, said Butcher. ConnectMaine didn’t fail, said Johnson, who was previously ConnectMaine’s director: The older office moved mapping forward and built a framework for community planning. “They just didn’t have the tools or the statutory mechanisms to implement them effectively.” The additional flexibility afforded to MCA has allowed the office to build a strong team, said Butcher, saying his office is picking up on the previous one’s work as ConnectMaine is merged into MCA. Broadband has been a "thoroughly bipartisan" issue in Maine, said state Sen. Rick Bennett (R), who co-chairs the Maine legislature’s broadband caucus and worked on the bill that created MCA. Thursday’s announcement that Maine will get about $5.5 million from NTIA for planning was historic for the state’s broadband efforts, said Maine Broadband Coalition Board Chair Nick Battista. “This is a very different world than it was three years ago.” In a video message, Sen. Susan Collins (R) said the planning award “will help our state extend our high-speed network.” In another recorded video, Sen. Angus King (I) said, “This is a moment when we really can change the future of Maine.”
A possible Pennsylvania USF review must be comprehensive, said Commissioner John Coleman at a livestreamed Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission meeting Thursday. Commissioners voted 5-0 for an order setting a Pennsylvania USF budget and surcharge for 2023 (docket M-00001337). The PUC will increase the USF surcharge to 2.53% of 2021 average monthly intrastate retail revenue, from 2.13% of 2020 average revenue, an increase of about 19%, the order said. The fund administrator says the contribution base may need to be expanded due to continuing declines in the base and annual reported revenue, which caused increases to the surcharge, noted Coleman. “Any review of the fund should not be done on a piecemeal basis” or “limited to the contribution base alone.” Commissioner Ralph Yanora agreed. Also at the meeting, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a settlement with Lumen’s CenturyLink in an investigation into alleged outages and unreliable service (see 2209150025). The telco agreed to pay a $45,000 civil penalty and implement remedial measures including a quality assurance program and required public service announcements to educate the public on how to report damaged facilities (docket M-2022-3028754).
States are marching ahead with plans to get as much broadband money as possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). NTIA announced planning grant awards to many more states Thursday for broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) and digital equity programs. NTIA can and should give states a couple of more months to submit challenges to FCC maps to ensure BEAD money gets allocated properly, CCG Consulting President Doug Dawson said Thursday at the Maine Broadband Summit.
The government's Alaska USF plan wouldn’t preserve universal service, Alaska Communications Systems (ACS) said in Tuesday comments at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA). The carrier lambasted the staff proposal to extend the AUSF sunset by two years to June 30, 2025, while reducing support (see 2210260076). The Alaska attorney general’s office sought a longer sunset, and CTIA urged the commission not to let up.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission awarded about $20.3 million under the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program (NBBP), the PSC said Tuesday. The agency's four Republican commissioners voted to adopt an order to award 37 grants to 14 providers. Democratic Commissioner Crystal Rhoades, not present for the vote, previously raised process concerns (see 2203220078). The PSC narrowed down an initial list of 115 applications through challenge and scoring processes, it said. Awarded projects must be completed by June 6, 2024. The commission spent many hours reviewing applications and challenges and continues to make improvements to the grant process, Commissioner Tim Schram (R) said at the livestreamed meeting. The NBBP program’s second year surpassed the first, Chair Dan Watermeier (R) said in a statement. “We have a good process in place and are eager to provide funding to continue broadband buildout to unserved and underserved Nebraskans.”
Some Arizona Corporation Commission members signaled possible support for repealing state USF as soon as next month. At a livestreamed meeting Tuesday, Utilities Division Director Elijah Abinah said staff will bring forward an item to decide the fund’s future at the January or February meeting. “The most appropriate way to clean up this appendage from yesteryear would be to just repeal the rules,” said Commissioner Jim O’Connor (R). Commissioner Justin Olson (R), departing the commission at year-end, also said he supports repeal. Chairwoman Lea Marquez Peterson (R) said she wants to vote in January on repealing or modifying AUSF rules. Commission staff listed state USF options including repeal in a memo last week in docket T-00000A-20-0336 (see 2211300009). Arizona USF's sole recipient, Frontier Communications, didn't comment Tuesday.
Karima Holmes won’t return as 911 director for the District of Columbia’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC). Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) withdrew the controversial nomination Monday after D.C. Council members signaled they would reject confirmation. Bowser, Holmes and others fought to save the nomination before a Tuesday D.C. Council vote. Withdrawal was “overdue," D.C. 4B01 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Evan Yeats said in an interview: "We wasted a lot of time and energy on this fight that could have been invested in improving OUC."