Arkansas completed a statewide mapping project providing aerial images counties can use for infrastructure projects and public safety response to 911 calls and other emergencies, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said in a Wednesday news release. The digital map by Arkansas Geographic Information Systems, available on its website, details roads, developments and infrastructure projects in 75 counties, the governor’s office said. The updated maps “will greatly assist first responders in emergency situations when a speedy response by law-enforcement agencies and rescue crews can mean the difference between life and death,” Hutchinson said.

Responding to this month's southern California wildfires, the state Public Utilities Commission plans to vote Jan. 11 to require utilities to implement emergency protections for affected customers. A draft resolution posted last week would direct communications companies to refund customers for periods where they didn’t have service due to the fires, suspend de-enrollment for non-usage rules and delay the renewal process for affected California LifeLine participants. The emergency consumer protections would apply to affected residential and nonresidential customers for one year from the resolution’s effective date, the draft said.

Oregon and Washington state will opt in to FirstNet, Democratic Govs. Kate Brown and Jay Inslee said Tuesday. The northwestern states held a joint request for proposal seeking alternatives, but a key reason to select AT&T “was their commitment, as a result of the competitive process, to provide additional tower investments in both states,” the Inslee office said in a news release. That makes 47 of 56 states and territories to opt in before the Thursday deadline. New Hampshire is the only state to say it would opt out, but opt-in arguments for that state haven’t subsided (see 1712200043).

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission set Jan. 17 and Feb. 28 workshops on revamping state USF, in a notice last week. At the first workshop, commission staff “will summarize the issues related to the ongoing viability of the IUSF and potential solutions and outcomes," the PUC said. Afterward, stakeholders have until Jan. 31 to file position papers, it said. The Idaho PUC said it would weigh changes to USF after doubling monthly USF fees in August (see 1708230029).

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) added to allegations that Comcast illegally charged for protection plans without consumer consent. Thursday in King County Superior Court, Ferguson filed an amended complaint in the case about nearly 2 million alleged violations of the state’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by the cable company (see 1608010045). “This new evidence makes clear that Comcast’s conduct is even more egregious than we first realized,” Ferguson said in a statement. In May, the court ordered Comcast to send the AG recordings of phone calls in which Comcast sold a service protection plan to Washington consumers. The AG office analyzed 150 randomly chosen calls from 1,500 sent to the AG, it said. Comcast enrolled more than half without consent, even though the company didn’t always mention the plan or explain that it would cost extra, and some consumers rejected it explicitly, the AG office said. The CPA allows up to a $2,000 penalty per violation, it said. A Comcast spokeswoman disagreed with the AG claims and defended the service plans. "The Attorney General’s new assertions are largely based on a flawed methodology and assumptions," she said. Comcast provided more than 4,500 call recordings to the AG, but the office listened to a fraction, she added.

ExteNet should stop rehashing old arguments, said AT&T, Verizon and Texas city Beaumont in Friday replies to ExteNet’s Dec. 12 motion for rehearing in docket 47530 at the Texas Public Utility Commission. The PUC ruled last month it has no authority over wireless network nodes under the state’s 2017 small-cells law (see 1711170029). But ExteNet said the PUC misstated the new law’s scope so it could be improperly applied to installation of fiber facilities not associated with node installations. "ExteNet continues to raise arguments the Commission has considered and rejected,” Verizon replied. ExteNet just wants to provide transport facilities under the old law and not pay right-of-way payments to cities, the carrier said. AT&T agreed: “ExteNet is wrong.” Crown Castle earlier made similar arguments to ExteNet, but gave up the fight after the Texas PUC’s November decision. “Crown Castle respects the decision of the” commission, a spokesman said.

A Massachusetts state senator revealed a net neutrality bill that would mandate “free flow of information over the internet; free access to all lawful websites; no unreasonable discrimination of lawful network traffic; no paid prioritization; and clear commitment to transparency.” State Sen. Barbara L’Italien (D) introduced SD-2428 Thursday as Democratic state legislators prepare bills for 2018 (see 1712210034). A New York lawmaker, Senate Democratic Conference Whip Kevin Parker (D), last week introduced a bill (S-7175) that would ban state purchases of internet services from ISPs that don’t follow net neutrality principles. It’s separate from the similar New York bill by Assemblymember Patricia Fahy (D) that’s being carried in the Senate by state Sen. David Carlucci (D), a Fahy spokesman said. The bills are slightly different, with Parker’s bill also establishing a revolving fund for municipalities to set up a broadband network if the private ISP in their area isn’t net neutral.

AT&T’s tentative contract with wireless union workers includes enforceable protections against gender discrimination in 16 states with no laws on the subject, Communications Workers of America said in a Thursday news release. The contract agreement covers 21,000 workers in 36 states and the District of Columbia (see 1712140014). “Let this be a signal to opponents of LGBTQ equality, who are nearly always opponents of workers’ rights too,” said CWA District 1 President Dennis Trainor. Workers will vote on the proposed agreement by Jan. 12, CWA said. AT&T has “long been committed to diversity,” a carrier spokesman said.

Rivada urged all governors to opt out of FirstNet in protest of the authority's revising its draft spectrum manager lease agreement (SMLA). Tuesday, with many jurisdictions already opted in and the Dec. 28 deadline to opt out fast approaching, FirstNet clarified states are responsible only for actual costs of re-establishing the radio access network (see 1712190069). The change decreased the risk of opt-out, but the timing leaves states no chance to weigh what it means, Rivada said in a Thursday news release. “It is very troubling that this dramatic shift -- in favor of state autonomy -- has been communicated as a minor adjustment, under cover of confidential emails.” FirstNet referred us to its Tuesday statement saying it clarified the draft SMLA after getting feedback from states. So far, 41 of 56 states and territories accepted AT&T plans. New Hampshire is the only state to opt out, but opt-in arguments for that state haven’t subsided (see 1712200043).

It could cost $42 million to extend broadband to more than 14,000 underserved businesses, CTC Technology & Energy estimated for the New Mexico Broadband Program. While full public or private funding would be the most direct approach, the state could lower costs by establishing permanent funding for the state broadband office for planning and coordination of public and private entities, CTC said. New Mexico could encourage businesses to aggregate buying power and jointly purchase broadband services, it said. The state could incentivize broadband expansion through procurement for broadband at anchor institutions, by implementing dig-once policy, by streamlining access to the right of way and through more collaboration with other state and federal efforts, CTC said.