AT&T, which is already dealing with a strike by Communications Workers of America members in the Southeast, now faces a CWA walk out in the West (see 2409050049). “Our members had a chance to review and vote on the AT&T West tentative agreement, and the majority determined that it did not meet their needs,” CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce said Friday: “We will use all the tools at our disposal to win a fair contract, including a strike if it becomes necessary.” The AT&T West agreement covers some 8,000 workers in California and Nevada whose contract expired April 6, a CWA spokesperson emailed Monday.

The Pennsylvania Prison Society asked the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate and set aside some of the FCC's order on incarcerated people's communications services. In a protective petition filed Thursday (docket 24-2647), the group challenged the FCC's decision regarding whether IPCS providers can recover certain safety and security costs in their rates (see 2408230012). It filed a protective petition for review because "PPS believes that only the portion" of the order was published in the Federal Register and is currently reviewable. The portion of the order PPS is challenging has not been published yet. "In the event this or another court deems the entire order to be reviewable at this time, this protective petition for review would be operative," PPS said in its petition.

The FCC Wireline Bureau reminded recipients of funds through the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program that they must file their next status update on or before Oct. 7. The notice was posted on Friday in docket 18-89.

AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches wasn’t surprised at Verizon’s proposed buy of Frontier (see 2409050010). “When you look at bandwidth consumption trends in the U.S., they are going in one direction,” Desroches said Thursday during a Bank of America conference. The providers with “networks at scale [in] both wireless and fiber will be the ones who succeed,” he said: “They're going to be more competitive. They will have the best networks, the best cost structure.” He noted AT&T has invested heavily in spectrum and fiber and doesn’t need to acquire companies to compete. AT&T would rather “build and generate the returns through building as opposed to going out and acquiring and paying a premium.” Offering wireless and fiber service in a market means “considerable churn reduction” for both. Compared with 2021 and 2022, the wireless market “has normalized” and is “very healthy.” AT&T’s “play is not necessarily taking share of subscribers -- it is how do you optimize overall revenue and deliver value to the bottom line?”

Interagency coordination on broadband projects is "now stronger than ever," wrote NTIA Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth Director-Interagency Coordination Karen Hanson Friday as the agency released a report on its efforts. The report follows a GAO study about "legislative barriers" and addressing them, Hanson noted. "Alignment across federal agencies can prove challenging because programs are often authorized at different points in time and frequently impose different deployment obligations, timelines, and technical specifications," Hanson said: "Despite this NTIA works collaboratively with our colleagues to promote best practices and make improvements where possible." The report recommended standardizing program requirements to "reduce complexity and unnecessary variation for applicants" and improving coordination on federal funding. It also suggested exploring incentives for states to contribute to the national broadband availability map.

Communications Workers of America slammed a final offer from AT&T late Wednesday as a strike continued into its third week (see 2409030025). More than 17,000 workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are on strike. “CWA members have seen and personally experienced the effects of prolonged outages and wait times for service and repairs,” said union President Claude Cummings. “It’s time for AT&T to engage in productive bargaining where it belongs -- at the bargaining table -- so we can get back to work serving our customers,” Cummings said. “We have made a strong final offer,” an AT&T spokesperson emailed: “We believe that this offer, if accepted, would provide our employees with competitive market-based pay that exceeds projected inflation. The Company is also offering to increase its financial contributions to employee healthcare and wellness by up to 25% per year.” The spokesperson said the terms of the offer “are largely in line with the 3 other competitive and fair agreements we’ve reached with our unions this year.”

Securus asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the FCC's August order on incarcerated people's communication services. In a petition filed last week (docket 24-60454), Securus said the FCC's denial of its clarification and waiver petitions on alternative payment plans was "arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act" (see 2408230012).

A bipartisan coalition of 51 mayors asked the FCC to abandon its proposed ban on bulk billing arrangements for broadband and cable services in multi-tenant environments (see 2407090049). In a letter posted Tuesday in docket 17-142, the mayors said that residents' rates "would rise significantly while service capabilities would be frozen in place" should the FCC continue with its proposal. Given the "clear benefits to consumers and the competitive marketplace, regulatory intervention would be detrimental," the letter said: "Bulk deals serve the public interest and directly benefit countless individuals within our communities." The FCC declined to comment. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel defended the proposal in a letter to lawmakers in June (see 2406280056).

The FCC Wireline Bureau said Wednesday the window opens Sept. 17 and closes Nov. 1 for filing FCC Form 484 applications to participate in the agency’s three-year, $200 million cybersecurity pilot program for schools and libraries. Commissioners approved the program 3-2 in June with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissenting (see 2406060043).

Nokia on Tuesday signed a multiyear agreement with AT&T to deploy next-generation fiber technology, said a Tuesday release. Under the agreement, Nokia will provide its Lightspan and Altiplano platforms to support AT&T’s fiber network. “The five-year deal will include fiber network upgrades to AT&T's current footprint and next-generation fiber technologies for future network expansions and is Build America, Buy America-compliant,” Nokia said. The agreement “sets the stage for the next wave of digital innovation, including Industry 4.0, smart cities, IoT applications and ultra-high-definition streaming,” said Chris Sambar, AT&T head of network.