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San Francisco considers taking over PG&E’s electric business

Sfpuc pge report graphic 13may2019

The City and County of San Francisco is a small step closer to taking over the electric half of Pacific Gas and Electric’s utility operations. A report produced by the City’s local public utilities commission, at the request of mayor London Breed, airs many grievances with PG&E, extolls the benefits of a municipally owned electric utility and glosses over the hard questions of how and how much.

San Francisco’s options, according to the report, range from continuing to arm wrestle with PG&E, to building some limited extensions of existing city-owned electric distribution lines, to simply taking over PG&E assets and operations…

The City can completely remove its reliance on PG&E for local electricity services through purchasing PG&E’s electric delivery assets and maintenance inventories in and near San Francisco, and operating them as a public, not for profit service.

… More

New York and Charter settle broadband buildout dispute, set 100 Mbps download standard

14 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Charter Communications has a tentative deal with the State of New York’s Public Service Commission and its public service department to keep its cable franchises there. Last year, the NYPSC began the process of revoking Charter’s authorisation to operate in the state by unwinding its purchase of Time Warner cable systems, because the company wasn’t meeting broadband build out obligations imposed when the deal was approved in 2016. According to the commission, Charter was, among other sins, attempting to “skirt obligations to serve rural communities” and was “just lining its pockets”.… More

Soft promises, hard arguments offered for CPUC approval of T-Mobile Sprint merger

13 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Kim putin

T-Mobile’s closing case for the California Public Utilities Commission review of its merger with Sprint boils down to trust us, it’ll be glorious. Opponents, led by the CPUC’s Public Advocates Office (PAO), say you gotta be kidding. T-Mobile (and Sprint and the California Emerging Technology Fund, but T-Mobile is the lead dog in that pack) filed final arguments on Friday, saying the CPUC should approve the merger. The PAO, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), TURN and the Greenlining Institute urged commissioners to deny it, because consumer prices will rise and rural communities will be left out, among other ills.… More

T-Mobile’s $35 million payoff to CETF was done properly and “adds weight” to its case, CPUC judge rules

10 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Beautiful friendship

The $35 million deal to gain the California Emerging Technology Fund’s (CETF) support for T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint was done properly. That’s the ruling from Karl Bemesderfer, the administrative law judge managing the California Public Utilities Commission’s review of the transaction.

The contract, which also contains a long list of vague promises previously floated by T-Mobile, was challenged by the CPUC’s public advocates office (PAO) and two consumer groups, TURN and the Greenlining Institute.… More

Zayo, a major fiber optic network owner, sold to private investors

9 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Zayo bay area

Zayo announced yesterday that it had “a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Digital Colony Partners and the EQT Infrastructure IV fund”. The $8.2 billion deal takes Zayo off the New York Stock Exchange and puts it in the hands of owners who might have the patience to play the long game against the monopoly-model telcos – AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink, particularly – who control the lion’s share of long haul and metro fiber in the U.S.… More

Electric utilities will decide when to cut power in the face of fire threats

8 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Californian electric utilities will have clearer guidance on how, if not when, to shut down – de-energise – local power lines when the danger of sparking a wildfire is at its peak. That’s assuming a decision drafted by California Public Utilities Commission president Michael Picker is approved later this month. It’s not the full and final instruction manual, but it’s a start. The new procedures will be in place for this year’s wildfire season and can be improved as time goes on.… More

FCC doesn’t swallow broadband map spam, but still does an availability victory dance

7 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Carmen miranda 625

The Federal Communications Commission re-did its annual analysis of broadband availability in the U.S., after a broadband advocacy group and Microsoft separately called bullshit on the first version. But it’s not backing away from its claim that “significant progress has been made in closing the digital divide in America”.

Free Press is the broadband advocacy group that spotted a truckload of map spam when the FCC pushed out a press release in February, claiming broadband “is being deployed on a reasonable and timely basis”.… More

T-Mobile’s merger tactics catch more heat in California

6 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Derby referee 625

The lawyerly squabbling over T-Mobile’s proposed takeover of Sprint continues in California, with new accusations of off the record promises and a defence of a $35 million payoff to a key opponent in return for its enthusiastic and wholehearted support of the merger. Amidst a growing list of disputes in California and increasing doubt over federal approval, T-Mobile and Sprint extended their self imposed deadline for closing the transaction to 29 July 2019.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s review of the deal could run until then.… More

Charter is first major cable company to apply for California broadband subsidies, but on its own terms

3 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Silver wheel ranch

Four more broadband infrastructure grant proposals, filed by Charter Communications, surfaced yesterday. That brings the number of pending applications for California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) construction subsidies to 13, which total out to $27.6 million. Cruzio and Frontier Communications also submitted applications on Wednesday, and the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative filed last Saturday.

Charter is asking for $1.7 million to build out to the 467 homes in the four project areas. Per household costs range from a $1,500 to $14,000.… More

California broadband subsidy grants trickle in at the deadline

2 May 2019 by Steve Blum
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Verizon taft 2dec2014

There was no last minute rush yesterday as the window closed for California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband infrastructure grant applications. Only two companies submitted a total of three project proposals. It’s possible that other applications were submitted but not publicly distributed as required, but for now three, plus five from Saturday, are what we have. I’ll take a deeper dive into all of them later, here’s the short version for now:

Frontier submitted two applications, an $11.8 million proposal to extend service to 146 homes in the Lassen and Modoc County communities of Alturas, Ravendale and Standish, and a $1.7 million proposal to reach 235 homes in and/or around Taft in Kern County.… More