updates

Commissioner Mike Florio leaves CPUC

15 December 2016 by Steve Blum
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Mike Florio won’t be on the California Public Utilities Commission next year. His term expires at the end of the month, and he was not reappointed by governor Jerry Brown. As he opened this morning’s meeting, CPUC president Michael Picker casually confirmed what pretty much everyone has expected: this will be Florio’s last meeting. Testimonials and farewells are expected at the end of the meeting later this morning. No word yet on whether commissioner Catherine Sandoval will be reappointed.

Governor Brown approves remnants of CPUC reform, calls for more

29 September 2016 by Steve Blum
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Five bills aimed at changing the way the California Public Utilities Commission does business were signed into law today by California governor Jerry Brown. Two – senate bills 215 and 512 – were the only measures passed by the legislature that were included in a grander deal Brown negotiated with lawmakers in June. Another, SB 62, arose as the other bills in that package went down to defeat. Brown also signed assembly bill 2168, which requires CPUC audits to be posted on the web, and SB 661 tightens up rules for digging around underground utilities.… More

AT&T copper network replacement presentation video posted

15 September 2016 by Steve Blum
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AT&T’s plan to replace rural copper networks in California with a fixed wireless broadband service running at 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speeds was presented to the Eldorado County board of supervisors two days ago, on 13 September 2016. The conversion will be subsidised by the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund phase 2 program, which will give AT&T $360 million in California alone, and $2.6 billion nationwide.

The video was streamed live, and I’ve posted a recording to YouTube.… More

CPUC okays grants for Occidental FTTH, consortia, public housing; cancels dormant projects

18 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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With no discussion and plenty of advocates in attendance, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a $7.7 million construction subsidy for a fiber to the home project in Occidental and grants for three regional broadband consortia and 12 public housing programs. It also rescinded five previously approved but currently stalled California Advanced Services Fund infrastructure projects, putting $4.5 million back into the kitty. More details here.

Federal appeals court rejects FCC's muni broadband preemption

10 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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The FCC cannot preempt state law in Tennessee and North Carolina, and give local governments permission to extend the reach of municipal broadband systems if state legislatures say otherwise. That’s the bottom line from an appeals court decision issued this morning by a three judge federal appeals court panel in Cincinnati. I’ll have more when I’ve finished reading the decision, or you can read it for yourself here:

Federal appeals court opinion reversing FCC municipal broadband preemption

Confirmed: bill to scrap CPUC is scrapped instead

28 June 2016 by Steve Blum
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The puzzle pieces are starting to move, as a plan announced yesterday to reorganise utility regulation in California takes shape. Assembly constitutional amendment 11 was taken off the senate’s energy, utilities and communications committee’s agenda yesterday, and a second hearing, by the senate’s elections and constitutional amendments committee, was cancelled this morning.

ACA 11 would have put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot, asking voters whether they want to end the special, and largely independent, status granted to the California Public Utilities Commission.… More

Google Fiber buys Webpass, jumps into CLEC infrastructure access fight

23 June 2016 by Steve Blum
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Webpass was just acquired by Google Fiber. See this morning’s blog post about Webpass’ beef with AT&T at the California Public Utilities Commission for more info on what Webpass is up to.

It won’t have an immediate impact on the proceeding – lots of hoops to jump through first – but long term, it gives Google Fiber a big, new weapon in its fight to gain access to fundamental broadband infrastructure in California. There are also implications – positive – for its current fiber-to-the-apartment project in San Francisco.… More

Posted: appeals court decision affirming FCC net neutrality, common carrier rules

14 June 2016 by Steve Blum
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Update:

The appeals court is putting its decision on hold for seven days, to allow time for further appeals. As a practical matter, it doesn’t mean much: the FCC’s broadband common carrier rules have been in effect all along and will remain in effect.

You can download the decision here:

United States Telecom Association, Et Al., Petitioners
V.
Federal Communications Commission And United States Of America,
Respondents
Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance, Et Al.,
Intervenors

184 pages – good reading!… More

Federal appeals court rejects challenges to FCC net neutrality, broadband common carrier rules

14 June 2016 by Steve Blum
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A federal appeals court has let stand the FCC decision that imposes common carrier regulations on broadband service

This is what the initial notice says:

JUDGMENT

These causes came on to be heard on the petitions for review of an order of the Federal Communications Commission and were argued by counsel. On consideration thereof, it is
ORDERED and ADJUDGED that the petitions for review are denied, in accordance with the opinion of the court filed herein this date.

… More

California assembly committee stops AT&T wireline exit, reports say

27 May 2016 by Steve Blum
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Assembly bill 2395 was killed today by the California assembly’s appropriations committee, according to reports from several sources. The Rural Counties Representatives of California website has the most complete info right now. I’m not 100% certain that it’s 100% dead – there are parliamentary tactics that might resuscitate it – but that’s always the case in Sacramento.

AB 2395 would have allowed AT&T to replace insufficiently lucrative wireline systems with wireless service, with no guarantees of broadband access, and escape nearly all regulatory oversight in California.… More