broadband

California lawmakers revive Internet privacy rules dumped by Trump administration

19 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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California is stepping into the privacy vacuum created by federal policy makers when they scrapped consumer protection rules adopted last year. Assembly bill 375 was approved by the senate’s energy, utilities and communications committee yesterday. It would put sharp restrictions on what Internet service providers can do with their customers’ information…

An Internet service provider may use, disclose, sell, or permit access to customer personal information if the customer gives the Internet service provider prior opt-in consent, which may be revoked by the customer at any time.

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Hostile takeover of California broadband subsidies on ice, for now

18 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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The attempt by telephone and cable companies to hijack the California Advanced Services Fund – the state’s primary broadband infrastructure subsidy program – is derailed, for at least a few weeks and probably forever. Keeping in mind that forever in Sacramento’s dictionary means until the next legislative session, which begins in January.

Assembly bill 1665 was pulled off of this morning’s agenda in the senate’s energy, utilities and communications committee, which means that it can’t be considered again (in the normal course of business) until lawmakers return from their summer break on 21 August 2017.… More

Cracks in Frontier's business model widen

17 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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Competition and a botched takeover of Verizon wireline systems in California, Texas and Florida are pushing Frontier Communications deeper into the red, as its customers cancel service. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, via Morningstar.com, company executives have backed away from predictions that falling subscriber revenue would soon be on the way up…

Revenue has instead declined companywide for the past year. Frontier’s 2016 loss widened to $373 million from $196 million a year earlier.

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AT&T, Frontier want right of the first night in rural California

16 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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One of the perks that telco and cable lobbyists slipped into a broadband infrastructure subsidy bill pending in the California senate is the right to take the first look at proposed projects in unserved rural areas, so they can decide whether or not they want to be the ones to consummate the deal. In medieval times (or at least in the movie Braveheart) something very similar was called jus primae noctis, the right of the first night, where a feudal lord claimed the privilege of taking a newly wedded bride to bed.… More

PG&E's bid to be a fiber company gets a long review

15 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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PG&E will have to explain how it manages requests from telecoms companies to hang cable and other equipment on its utility poles, as the California Public Utilities Commission reviews its application to become a fully certified, commercial fiber network operator. After a meeting with PG&E and the companies and organisations that have raised objections to PG&E’s move, the administrative law judge, Jessica Hecht, and the commissioner, Liane Randolph, handling the review laid out a year-long review schedule that identifies the issues that will be addressed.… More

Net neutrality, San Bernardino FTTH endorsed by CPUC

13 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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A $28 million grant for the Gigafy Phelan fiber to the home project in San Bernardino County and a statement opposing plans to roll back net neutrality rules were approved this morning by the California Public Utilities Commission. The exact comments to the FCC as it considers scrapping common carrier status for broadband service are still to be determined. After first trying to delay the filing, commission president Michael Picker opted for another round of editing before Monday’s deadline.

California bill magically improves broadband service to 280,000 homes

13 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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If too many Californians have substandard broadband, the best way to fix it is to lower the standards. That’s the perverse logic that’s captured the thinking, such as it is, of a senate committee that’s considering a rewrite of California’s primary broadband infrastructure subsidy program. It would let AT&T and Frontier Communications fence off poorly served rural communities from competition, and get taxpayer money as a reward.

As the senate energy, utilities and communications (EU&C) committee’s analysis of assembly bill 1665 explains…

This bill would alter the current CASF goal by reducing the eligibility speed to 6 Mbps/1 Mbps from the current 6 Mbps/1.5Mbps and exclude CAF II areas, as well as, areas where incumbent providers claim they plan to deploy service.

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Opposition wave stuns California broadband subsidy grab

11 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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An effort to turn California’s broadband infrastructure subsidy fund into a monopoly preservation program is stalled, at least for a week. The chair of the California senate’s energy, utilities and communications committee, Ben Hueso (D – San Diego), opened yesterday’s meeting with the announcement that consideration of assembly bill 1665 was postponed until next Tuesday, 18 July 2017. He gave no reason for the delay, but it’s worth noting that dozens of organisations – counties, broadband consortia, independent Internet service providers and others – withdrew their support last week after AT&T and Frontier Communications turned it into a blatant pork barrel bill, instead of the thinly disguised one that was approved by the California assembly.… More

California broadband subsidy vote postponed, perhaps until 2018

10 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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A California senate committee delayed consideration of a bill to rewrite broadband subsidy rules until next week. Assembly bill 1665 was on the agenda for the energy, utilities and communications committee this morning. As the hearing began, the chair, Ben Hueso (D – San Diego) announced that it had been postponed until next Tuesday, 18 July 2017. No reason was given, but it appears that the flurry of opposition that followed last week’s amendments were a factor.… More

Support crumbles for California broadband subsidy grab

10 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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UPDATE: the hearing on AB 1665 was delayed until next week. More info here.

Last week’s amendments to assembly bill 1665 went too far for many of the organisations that were supporting it, particularly those with an interest in developing broadband infrastructure and countering incumbent monopolies. The changes allowed AT&T and Frontier to fence off most of their rural California systems from potential competitors, while getting privileged access to the $300 million in construction subsidies contained in the bill.… More