updates

“Fake net neutrality bill” moves ahead in California assembly

26 June 2018 by Steve Blum
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As requested by the bill’s author, the California assembly’s privacy and consumer protection committee approved senate bill 822 without changes this afternoon. Wiener again blasted the amendments made last week by the industry-friendly communications and conveyances committee, saying he had no desire to pass “a fake net neutrality bill”. But if the bill died in today’s committee meeting, it would be game over, and Wiener wants to try to work something out with assemblyman Miguel Santiago, the committee chair who gutted SB 822.… More

California assembly committee guts and kills net neutrality bills

20 June 2018 by Steve Blum
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One net neutrality bill is dead and another is critically wounded after a hearing this morning in the California legislature. The industry-friendly communications and conveyances committee adopted a long list of amendments to senate bill 822 that “eviscerate” it, as its author, senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco) put it. The committee’s chair, assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D – Los Angeles), who has cashed tens of thousands of dollars worth of checks from telephone and cable companies, rammed the changes through over Wiener’s objections.… More

Three Californias initiative qualifies for November ballot

12 June 2018 by Steve Blum
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Californians will vote on whether to break up our state into three new ones this November. An petition drive led by Silicon Valley investor Tim Draper gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for the general election ballot, according to the latest count released by the California secretary of state’s office. Draper needed 402,000 valid signatures to automatically qualify on the basis of random sample checking and, so far, 419,000 proved out. A handful of counties still have to report, but it’ll just be icing on the cake.

CPUC posts proposed new rules for Internet adoption, public housing broadband grants

18 May 2018 by Steve Blum
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This morning, commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves released a draft plan for giving out grants to broadband adoption programs, revising an existing grant program that pays for broadband facilities in California’ public housing communities, and winding down a defunct broadband infrastructure loan account. You can read it here:

Proposed decision by commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves, implementing CASF broadband adoption program and modifying the CASF public housing broadband and infrastructure loan programs, 18 May 2018

You can find the background documents here.… More

California senate votes for net neutrality

29 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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The California senate voted 21 to 12 earlier today to approve senate bill 460, which would reinstate network neutrality rules in California, in the unlikely event federal courts declare the FCC’s decision to scrap those regs to be arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion. It was mostly along party lines, with Richard Roth (D – Riverside) voting no, but no republicans voting yes and several senators on both sides sitting it out.… More

Final version of FCC's net neutrality and common carrier repeal posted

5 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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Click here for the final version of what the Federal Communications Commission calls In the Matter of Restoring Internet Freedom; Declaratory Ruling, Report and Order, and Order.

I’m still slogging through the text, trying to figure out if there’s anything significantly different from November’s draft version. Absent changes, the real significance is that the clock is now ticking for some of the administrative and legislative actions that might be taken. Others, particularly court challenges, will have to wait until it’s formally published in the Federal Register.

"The fix was already in": net neutrality ends on party line FCC vote

14 December 2017 by Steve Blum
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By a vote of three republicans to two democrats, the Federal Communications Commission declared that broadband is not a telecommunications service this morning. Broadband’s common carrier status is gone and network neutrality rules have been scrapped. If the FCC follows recent practice, the full text of the decision will be released in the next few days, but the draft was published three weeks ago and there’s no indication at this point that any significant changes were made.… More

FCC scrapping common carrier status, net neutrality rules for broadband

21 November 2017 by Steve Blum
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Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai dropped the draft of his common carrier decision on fellow commissioners this morning, and plans to make it public tomorrow. Media reports say that it’ll be a complete repeal of the FCC’s 2015 decision to classify broadband as a common carrier service and impose net neutrality rules on Internet service providers. Instead, according to a press release, Pai said “the FCC would simply require Internet service providers to be transparent about their practices”.… More

CPUC posts final decision allowing CenturyLink to buy Level 3

18 October 2017 by Steve Blum
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The final version of the California Public Utilities Commission’s decision allowing CenturyLink to buy Level 3 Communications was just released. There are no apparent changes from the draft on the table when the CPUC unanimously approved it last Thursday – minor formatting aside, that could not happen under CPUC rules. Even an obvious typo on page 3 wasn’t corrected.

Download: CPUC decision approving settlement regarding proposed transfer of control of the Level 3 operating entities, 12 October 2017.… More