The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) adopted two resolutions at its Summer Policy Summit in Boston this week, calling for enhanced federal-state collaboration on telecom policy, particularly in phone number management and universal service funding. NARUC’s telecom committee passed both Monday, and the full board of directors adopted them Wednesday.
New York will soon be the latest state to make incarcerated individuals' phone calls free in an effort to increase communication accessibility and improve prison safety. Five states -- California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Minnesota -- have already made phone calls free in their facilities. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) announced Tuesday that the change will take effect Aug. 1.
AT&T called on California lawmakers Tuesday to grant it and other carriers relief from carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations. A state bill, AB-470, is "only focused on COLR relief in those well-served areas or areas with no population," said Terri Nikole Baca, AT&T vice president of legislative affairs, during a California Senate, Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee hearing. The "idea of a COLR obligation is outdated," she argued. Meanwhile, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and The Utility Reform Network (TURN) urged the committee to maintain its nearly 30-year-old rules.
A coalition of 22 states filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the Trump administration's sweeping freeze on federal grants and loans. The outcome of the lawsuit will "probably" affect NTIA's Digital Equity Act (DEA) grant programs, said Andrew Schwartzman, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society's senior counselor. "The qualification is that the government hasn't filed anything yet, and there are no motions or other pleadings that expand on what is said in the complaint," he said. The administration ended the $2.5 billion DEA grant program in May, causing states to cancel all contracts that would have used that money (see 2505090051).
California broadband advocates and industry clashed over how the state should treat fixed wireless and other non-fiber technologies in its BEAD plan, as the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) races to finalize a revised proposal by Sept. 4. In reply comments posted Wednesday (docket 23-02-016), commenters disagreed on whether fixed wireless can serve as a viable long-term solution for bridging the digital divide.
Industry groups urged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to move quickly in its rulemaking to modernize its carrier of last resort (COLR) requirements as the agency considers changing the state's 30-year-old rules (see 2410310044). Some suggested that the requirement be removed entirely in areas that are well-served, while advocacy organizations encouraged the commission to maintain the rules and instead update the framework.
States are grappling with the limited amount of time available to restructure their BEAD plans and undergo a new round of grant applications under NTIA's revised rules governing the program (see 2506060052). In light of the years of work that states have already spent to comply with the rules set when the program was created, some broadband officials said they plan to continue with business as usual, while others worry that the shift from fiber priority to tech neutrality, along with narrowed community anchor institution eligibility, will hinder their efforts to bridge the digital divide.
Wireless carriers and industry groups warned the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) against expanding its nearly 30-year-old carrier of last resort (COLR) rules to cover broadband, citing legal and technical limitations, in comments filed Friday (docket R.24-06-012). The filings came in response to an administrative law judge’s request for comment on two April workshops about proposed changes and the current landscape. While AT&T and others pushed to eliminate COLR obligations in areas with competition, consumer advocates argued that the rules remain essential to ensure universal access to basic voice service as the CPUC weighs changes.
Tribal broadband experts stressed during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday the importance of building networks that serve the community’s long-term interests rather than focusing on short-term profits. Panelists also highlighted the growing significance of fiber networks and data centers in advancing tribal digital sovereignty and economic development.
A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the FCC's decision to deny LTD Broadband more than $1.3 billion in rural broadband subsidies, ruling that the agency didn't violate the Administrative Procedure Act when it found the company unqualified.