Brightspeed received a $9.8 million grant to deploy fiber in New Jersey's Sussex and Warren counties, it announced Thursday. The New Jersey Office of Broadband Connectivity awarded the grant through the state's Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Equity program. The new funding will help reach 1,113 businesses, 2,172 homes and 30 community anchor institutions, Brightspeed said.
T-Mobile completed a $2 billion network expansion across Florida, providing for faster 5G speeds and wider coverage, the carrier said Wednesday. “The investment we’ve made is bringing real benefits to the people and businesses that call this state home, not just with the fastest speeds, but with increased resiliency and reliability in moments that matter most,” said President of Technology Ulf Ewaldsson. “With the country’s only 5G Advanced network and as the nation’s first provider with a direct-to-cell satellite network, we’re on track to deliver an even better network experience to Floridians -- years before anyone else.”
The Colorado Broadband Office will open its new application window for BEAD proposals on July 7, the office said Monday. The agency released revised guidance to meet NTIA's new program rules (see 2506180077). The new BEAD-eligible locations will be available "later this week," the agency said. Citing the state's "topography, tree cover, and population density factors," the office said it included technical questions to help it determine whether an applicant can meet their priority project definition, which includes reliability and scalability. Any project that doesn't include service speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps will be rejected. "Applicants should not indiscriminately select" all broadband serviceable locations in a large number of project areas for a priority project if they can't support the project with "reliable broadband speeds, latency, and scalability," the guidance said.
A New Jersey bill would establish a new office within the Department of State to coordinate permitting and increase the efficiency of broadband deployment. . A-5896, which Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (D) introduced Friday, would create the Office of Permitting and Broadband Deployment and Development Efficiency and give it the authority to regulate "rates, terms and contracts concerning pole attachments."
The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl's appeal of criminal charges related to alleged voter intimidation through robocalls during the 2020 general election. An appellate court affirmed a circuit court's denial of their motion to quash the charges in December (see 2412160060). Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said Monday she was "pleased" the court "refused to entertain further delay tactics," and "I look forward to finally bringing this matter to trial." Nessel filed charges against Burkman and Wohl in October 2020 for allegedly making robocalls "aimed at suppressing the vote of predominantly black voters in Detroit." Each man was charged with four felony counts of election law violations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Friday extending the California Public Utilities Commission's Deaf and Disabled Telecom Program to Dec. 31, 2034. SB-142 also extends the commission's surcharge for the Deaf and Disabled Telecom Program Administrative Committee Fund and authorizes it to make recommendations regarding program funding. The law took effect immediately.
California lawmakers approved a bill Monday establishing a process for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to allow companies to request relief from carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations. The move comes as the CPUC conducts a rulemaking on the issue (see 2506170067). The Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance voted unanimously, with two nonvoting members present, to pass AB-470. The bill would define "eligible area" as a "well-served" census block of at least three different facilities-based providers. The CPUC would have until Dec. 15, 2026, to adopt a map designating such areas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) approved a bill Friday strengthening consumer protections under the state's Telemarketing Disclosure and Privacy Act. SB-140, which takes effect Sept. 1. It expands the definition of a "telephone call" to include texts and other electronic transmissions. Consumers will also have a new private right of action to seek damages against a company for a telemarketing violation and may seek damages as many times as a violation arises. "Expect to see even more aggressive, serial litigants and filings in Texas," wrote telecom attorney Puja Amin in a blog post Tuesday. The law "is a huge gift" to plaintiffs' attorneys who may have "had the doors to federal courthouses closed on similar claims."
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed a bill Wednesday establishing a fund for the Department of Corrections to offset certain technology costs for incarcerated individuals. The bill, LD-45, established a Resident Technology Fund for buying and maintaining technology provided to incarcerated individuals for educational or work programs, including computers, laptops and external storage devices. The commissioner may also charge a fee for using the technology, up to 7% of an individual's monthly earnings after any deductions.
Californians can't combine their state and federal Lifeline subsidies for stand-alone wireline broadband service, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said in a decision published Tuesday (docket 20-02-008). The commission's Public Advocate Office and the Utility Reform Network petitioned the CPUC in April 2024 while the FCC was sunsetting the Affordable Connectivity Program. Residents were eligible during the program to combine their subsidies. Several ISPs, including AT&T, Charter, Cox, Consolidated Communications and Frontier, opposed the petition and cited legal, policy and procedural issues. "While we deny the petition based on these procedural flaws, we agree with the petitioners that the commission should explore ways to make broadband more affordable to Californians," the decision said.