Alaska elected to sign on to FirstNet, the 17th of the states and territories to do so, joining Hawaii, which opted in Monday (see 1708280054). Gov. Bill Walker (I) made the decision.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission sought reversal of a federal district court ruling that Charter’s VoIP service is an information service the state may not regulate (see 1707250018). In a Tuesday brief (in Pacer) at the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the PUC said the lower court relied on “erroneous and unprecedented legal analysis” that was “contrary to binding decisions of this Court, FCC precedent, and the longstanding system of cooperative federalism established under the Telecommunications Act.” The PUC requested oral argument with 20 minutes to each side. Charter’s traditional and IP-based telephone service is functionally the same, the state commission said. “The only difference between [plain old telephone service] and fixed, interconnected VoIP is the technology.”

Charter Communications will pay $225,000 to settle a Missouri 2015 telemarketing sales rule lawsuit and agreed to terms to prevent and remedy any potential future violations, the Missouri Attorney General's Office said in a news release Monday. They reached settlement agreement last week (see 1708240012). “While we continue to deny the allegations that were made in the lawsuit, we’re pleased to resolve this dispute," Charter said in a statement.

Hawaii agreed to opt in to FirstNet, the 16th of the states and territories to do so. “The FirstNet network will transform the way fire, police, EMS, emergency management and other public safety personnel communicate and share information, enabling them to better serve their communities during emergencies and day to day operations,” said Gov. David Ige (D) in a Monday news release. Hawaii was the first state to announce its opt-in decision since Nevada on Aug. 17.

FirstNet's board and its committees meet Sept. 13-14, NTIA said in Friday's Federal Register. It said the public can listen in 9 a.m. to noon MDT: 800-593-8976, PIN 3471793. The board meeting is in Colorado at Hyatt Place Boulder, 2280 Junction Place. The committees will meet by teleconference and WebEx only.

CenturyLink got the green light from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for the carrier’s $34 billion buy of Level 3. Board members voted 5-0 to OK the deal at their Wednesday meeting, after the companies agreed to a settlement with the state consumer advocate (see 1708170022). Conditions included promises to deploy broadband in certain areas and to continue to compete for business data services for at least three years. The merger creates “more competition, greater access to services and will accelerate deployment of broadband facilities in less served areas of the state,” Board President Richard Mroz said in a news release. The only other state OK needed is California, and its Public Utilities Commission is expected to vote later this year. The FCC’s 180-day shot clock to review the deal remained suspended at Day 170 on Wednesday. New Jersey makes 24 states and territories that "recognize this transaction is clearly in the public interest,” said CenturyLink Senior Vice President-Public Policy John Jones. “We continue to work with the California Public Utilities Commission and federal regulatory agencies to secure the remaining approvals necessary to reach our target transaction closing date at the end of the third quarter 2017."

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission wants to revamp the state USF after more than doubling monthly surcharges for residential and business lines in a Tuesday order, the Idaho PUC said in a news release. Effective Sept. 1, the PUC increased the fee for each residential landline to 25 cents from 12 cents and business lines to 44 cents from 20 cents. It also increased the per-minute fee for intrastate long-distance calls to 0.9 cent from 0.5 cent. Idaho USF revenue declined to $1.29 million this year from $2 million in 2015, but the fund distributed about $1.7 million every year since 2013, the PUC said. The fund wouldn’t have met its obligations this year without the increase in fees, it said. Fearing the increase will exacerbate landline abandonment and make the USF unsustainable, the PUC opened a generic docket to overhaul the fund, it said. “We … find it prudent and necessary to take a hard look at the sustainability and viability of the IUSF,” the PUC said in the order, citing a 10 percent decline in local residential lines and a 37 percent decline in local business lines and Message Telecommunications Service/Wide Area Telecommunications Service (MTS/WATS) billed minutes. “The continued popularity and growth of wireless, cellular and VoIP services in Idaho are actively contributing to this decline and these trends do not appear to be changing,” it said. Idaho PUC President Paul Kjellander said Wednesday: "Our immediate concern is addressing a program that is funded through a declining business model.” The PUC is "asking the industry and any other interested parties to come together and look at a solution related to the immediate problem.” Proposals in other states to assess VoIP or wireless services “would require legislative action” in Idaho, he said.

Securus would get California approval for its sale to Platinum Equity. under a proposed decision posted Tuesday by the California Public Utilities Commission. Commissioners plan to vote on the item as part of their consent agenda at Thursday’s meeting (see 1708150014). No one opposed the application for indirect transfer of control, the draft said. It didn’t mention controversy over last month’s claims by Securus to the FCC that it already had received all necessary state approvals (see 1708140040). Securus still needs approval from Alaska. Meanwhile, the CPUC held until Sept. 14 an item on its Thursday agenda that would impose $1,000 fines on some VoIP providers that failed to report and remit public purpose program surcharges.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska sought state USF comments by Sept. 20 on proposed rule changes including what to do in a USF shortage situation, a short-term effort to stem bleeding of the fund (see 1708090051). A Monday notice in docket R-17-001 listed that and other proposed changes to Alaska USF reporting and disbursement rules. The RCA separately is considering more comprehensive changes.

Charter’s $13 million settlement with New York state about broadband buildout requirements needs work, the Public Utility Law Project (PULP) said in comments posted Tuesday in docket 15-M-0388 at the New York Public Service Commission. The PSC last month sought feedback on the settlement over the company’s failure to meet a cable network buildout condition in the order approving Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable (see 1707070063). “Given that the Settlement Agreement, essentially, retains the buildout timelines of the Merger Approval Order, with the addition of some minor performance enhancement fees, there is no reason to believe that Charter would be more successful in meeting its buildout requirements absent substantive additions to the buildout milestones and oversight process,” PULP said. “The settlement agreement as proposed does not add such enhanced oversight, or more granular buildout milestones.” The PSC should open a rulemaking to make changes, including to strengthen oversight requirements and to require the company to increase frequency of status reports and prioritize underserved areas and low-income households, PULP said.