Several industry and consumer advocacy groups asked the California Public Utilities Commission to establish streamlined rules and ensure consumer protection as it considers revisions to technical regulations concerning the commission's facilities for interconnected VoIP service providers. In comments posted Tuesday (docket R2208008), some said they intend to participate in the CPUC's May 28 workshop to further discuss definitions of such facilities. Some also raised concerns about the commission's apparent direction toward providers operating in small independent local exchange carrier (ILEC) territories.
More than 100 state legislators from 28 states on Thursday urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and NTIA to ensure that states have the final say over their BEAD programs. In a letter backed by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, the bipartisan group of lawmakers raised concerns about reported changes to the program that could cause delays to broadband deployment and states' authority over state programs. As of Thursday, 115 lawmakers had signed the letter and encouraged others to sign.
Oklahoma is "holding off" on its subgrant selection process for the BEAD and tribal broadband connectivity program following NTIA's rescoping of BEAD, the state's Broadband Office said during a governing board meeting Tuesday (see 2503060047). The office will soon release a second request for information (RFI) for network expansion territories as it awaits NTIA's next move concerning programmatic changes.
The FCC is "moving at breakneck speed" and "really swinging for the fences" since the start of the Trump administration, Chairman Brendan Carr said Tuesday at Incompas' Policy Summit. Carr reiterated his "pretty aggressive agenda," which includes addressing media issues, reining in Big Tech, pushing initiatives that will "spur economic growth," and supporting national security and public safety.
Broadband officials and experts emphasized the need for greater communication and partnerships between industry and government to complete the transition from copper infrastructure to fiber and other technologies during NARUC's Winter Policy Summit on Tuesday. Some stressed the need for greater oversight of the transition and carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations. Others discussed the potential effects of the challenge to the FCC's Title II broadband reclassification and the U.S. Supreme Court's decision for a second time to deny rehearing a challenge to New York's broadband affordability law.
Telecom and utility companies must engage in early communication and collaboration to ensure efficient and safe broadband deployment, industry leaders said Monday at NARUC's Winter Policy Summit. NARUC Telecom Committee members also voted unanimously to adopt two resolutions on utility demand response communication and on vandalism or theft of communications infrastructure.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted an administrative stay late Tuesday afternoon that temporarily blocked a White House OMB memo, which called for a freeze on most federal grants and loans, from going into effect. The Trump administration memo already faced an array of legal challenges, including a planned lawsuit from a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Broadband officials and industry advocates raised questions about the memo's constitutionality and the future of certain FCC programs, such as Lifeline. Others warned the freeze could have serious implications for NTIA's BEAD program.
NTIA must take a tech-neutral approach in the BEAD program and "reverse policy choices that skew market-driven outcomes for technology selection," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) told commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick. Louisiana was the first state to begin its BEAD process and receive final NTIA approval for its plan (see 2501140055). Landry wrote Lutnick a letter Wednesday encouraging that the agency provide more flexibility and streamline other approval processes.
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday denied to review a petition from telecom groups challenging a New York law requiring that ISPs offer a certain plan for eligible low-income households (see 2404260051). The Affordable Broadband Act requires $15 monthly plans providing 25/3 Mbps speeds. Some saw the decision to uphold the 2nd Circuit's ruling in favor of the law as unsurprising given the legal battle over the FCC's reclassification of broadband as a Title II telecom service (see 2410010024).
Industry and public interest groups disagreed last week about whether the California Public Utilities Commission should temporarily freeze the state LifeLine specific support amount (SSA) for wireline and wireless providers. The CPUC is considering freezing the SSA at $19 beginning Jan. 1 until a new methodology is calculated (see 2406040032).