Frontier Communications must spend $20 million over four years to upgrade internet speeds and infrastructure in North Carolina under a settlement with Attorney General Josh Stein (D), the state DOJ said Tuesday. The carrier also will pay $300,000 in restitution for North Carolina customers affected by slower speeds. North Carolina and other states joined the FTC suing Frontier in 2021 over slow speeds. The federal court in that case dismissed the state’s claims against Frontier while allowing the FTC’s case to proceed (see 2110040066). However, North Carolina continued to negotiate with Frontier to reach a settlement, the AG office said. “We’ve been hearing concerns from Frontier customers for years now, and I’m hopeful that these investments will lead to better service,” said Stein. Frontier didn’t comment.
Florida will join other states that designate mobile phone providers as eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) for the federal Lifeline program. Also, the state will extend a pole attachments promotion that lets ISPs pay $1 a year per wireline attachment per pole to bring broadband to unserved or underserved areas in municipal electric utility service territories. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the wireless ETC (SB-478) and pole-attachments (HB-1147) bills on Monday. The bills became law Tuesday. Under SB-478, Florida will transfer wireless ETC designation powers from the FCC to the Florida Public Service Commission (see 2403050070). Meanwhile, HB-1148 will extend the pole-attachment promo until Dec. 31, 2028. It would have expired July 1 this year. Other state broadband bills also advanced this week. The Louisiana House voted 101-0 to pass a bill (HB-700) updating rules for the state’s Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities program. The bill addresses data reporting, award distributions, penalties and unobligated funds. It will go to the Senate. In Colorado, the Senate voted 31-1 to pass a bill (HB-1234) to indefinitely prolong the state’s high-cost support mechanism, which provides subsidies to a dozen rural telecom providers and is scheduled to sunset Sept. 1. The Appropriations Committee advanced the bill unanimously on Friday (see 2404120013). The House previously passed the bill but would have to agree with Senate changes before HB-1234 can go to Gov. Jared Polis (D). On Tuesday, the Vermont House passed a bill (S-199) updating merger rules for communications union districts (CUDs), groups of two or more municipalities that build infrastructure in rural parts of the state. The Senate passed the bill Feb. 28, but it still needs gubernatorial OK.
The connections-based Utah Universal Service Fund (UUSF) surcharge could increase by 27 cents to 98 cents monthly per access line, a 38% increase, the Utah Public Service Commission said in a Monday notice. The increase is needed due to AT&T overcounting access lines subject to the surcharge for nearly two years, from August 2021 to July 2023, the PSC said. After correcting the reporting error, “the actual number of access lines subject to the surcharge have now been reduced by approximately 260,000 per month and thus results in less revenue to meet the costs associated with the UUSF statutory obligations.” Also, UUSF distribution estimates “were significantly underestimated,” the PSC said. “Unless public comment convinces the PSC to alter its plans,” the new rate will take effect July 1. Comments are due June 3.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) supported ending a five-year 911 audit by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit. Kelly signed HB-2483, the governor’s office said Friday. The state legislature passed that bill and another to shake up state 911 administration earlier this month (see 2404020059).
Microsoft applauded Nebraska lawmakers for passing a comprehensive privacy bill last week. “Microsoft is steadfast in our commitment to protect consumer privacy and work with policymakers at the state and federal level to advance robust privacy legislation,” a spokesperson emailed. Nebraska passing a Texas-style privacy bill drew concern Friday from Consumer Reports that the bill lacks teeth and doesn’t cover enough companies (see 2404120047). The bill still needs a signature from Gov. Jim Pillen (R) to become law.
State agencies advised rejecting Lumen objections to an administrative law judge’s recommendation that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission force the carrier to rehab its copper network to address reportedly widespread service quality problems. Lumen’s CenturyLink pushed back sharply earlier this month on the ALJ’s proposed findings and remedies (see 2404030012). Replying Friday in docket C-20-432, the Minnesota Office of Attorney General said, “The rosy picture of satisfied customers that CenturyLink presents is at odds with the evidence documenting the crackly reality wireline customers face.” The state Commerce Department agreed. “None of CenturyLink’s conclusory claims should cause the Commission to depart from the ALJ’s sound legal analysis,” rule interpretations and “findings that certain customers are not receiving adequate service and that certain facilities are failing to provide it.”
Colorado appropriators supported bills on the future of the state's high-cost support mechanism (HCSM) at Friday committee meetings. The HCSM, which provides subsidies to a dozen rural telecom providers, is scheduled to sunset Sept. 1. However, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 8-0 for a bill (HB-1234) to prolong the fund indefinitely. It previously passed the House but will need another vote there to conform with Senate tweaks. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee voted 7-4 for HB-1336, which transfers authority for awarding grant money from the HCSM to the state broadband office. A broadband deployment board in the governor's IT office currently distributes the money. Senate appropriators also voted 7-1 for a social media bill, HB-1136. The House previously passed the bill, which would require the state’s education department to create elementary and secondary school curricula on social media’s mental health issues (see 2403120065). In addition, it would require social media platforms to display pop-up warnings when users younger than 18 spend more than one hour on a platform during a 24-hour period and when they are active on social media between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Illinois counties could lease or license fiber and other broadband infrastructure for delivery of high-speed internet under a bill the state's Senate approved unanimously Friday. After Senate passage, the bill (SB-3173) arrived in the House. Senators voted 59-0 for an amended bill that would allow counties to lease to public or private entities so long as they do so “on a nondiscriminatory, nonexclusive, and competitively neutral basis” and the county complies with safety codes and all other state and federal laws. The bill's original version would have let counties and municipalities sell local broadband service as a retail provider by obtaining a telecom carrier certificate from the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Louisiana could use unspent cash from a broadband grant program for non-internet infrastructure. The state House voted 100-0 Thursday to pass HB-617, which would permit unobligated funds from the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) program for “nonbroadband infrastructure project uses.” Projects would need to satisfy the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund. The bill will go to the Senate.
Create a state version of the affordable connectivity program (ACP) with New York ConnectAll broadband funding helping low-income residents pay for wired broadband, the Cable & Telecommunications Association of New York (CTANY) suggested Thursday. The New York Public Service Commission received comments from the association, which includes Altice and Charter Communications, in docket 22-M-0313. "If ACP is eventually extended by Congress, the state program can complement the federal benefit, but if it is not extended, the subsidy can be an important safety net to continue connectivity for the over one million households who ... rely on ACP in the state,” CTANY said.