Tw telecom expanded its Minneapolis area footprint into St. Paul, the western suburbs, the northern metropolitan areas, and through Washington County, it said. The expansion will connect tw telecom services directly to data center customers in the western suburbs, tw telecom said Thursday in a news release (http://bit.ly/ZullFq). The move is driven by increased demand for flexible and robust networking solutions by businesses entering the state “as well as those existing businesses ... looking to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace,” it said. The company continues in its effort to expand its metro fiber footprint across the U.S., it said.

California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey said he won’t seek reappointment to the commission when his current term expires in December. Peevey, who has led the CPUC since 2002, said in a Thursday statement that 12 years “as president is enough” (http://bit.ly/1v8hpYQ). Peevey has faced criticism recently over claims his office communicated with Pacific Gas and Electric via back channels, but he didn’t address those criticisms Thursday.

Connecticut Light and Power acknowledged in a filing Tuesday that the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) declined to include CL&P’s requested conditions in its draft decision approving Frontier Communications’ proposed purchase of AT&T’s broadband, video and wireline assets in the state (http://bit.ly/1vQMfUC). CL&P had asked PURA to require AT&T to pay $9.25 million in storm damage cleanup costs before the deal was completed. PURA said it didn’t have statutory authority to interpret CL&P’s dispute with AT&T as part of its Frontier/AT&T Connecticut review and suggested CL&P pursue the issue in court or via another state agency (CD Oct 1 p13 ). CL&P said it sued AT&T subsidiary LEC Southern New England Telephone Co. (SNET) in Connecticut Superior Court to pursue cost recovery. CL&P urged PURA to clarify in its final decision in Frontier/AT&T Connecticut that the commission has authority in future proceedings to exercise jurisdiction over disputes between CL&P and SNET, whose assets Frontier will own after the AT&T deal. CL&P also asked PURA to formalize three of Frontier’s voluntary commitments on SNET’s joint pole line agreement with CL&P. PURA didn’t incorporate suggested conditions from the Connecticut Internet Service Providers Association, but CTISPA as expected (CD Oct 6 p4) didn’t file exceptions to the draft decision. Connecticut divisions of Cablevision, Charter Communications, Cox Communications and MetroCast Communications said in a joint filing that they want PURA to formally incorporate their separate settlement with Frontier into the PURA decision. The cable companies’ settlement resolved issues on interconnection, local number portability, tandem transit service and reciprocal compensation rates. PURA’s draft decision acknowledged the cable companies’ settlement but didn’t formally incorporate it into the commission decision, the cable companies said (http://bit.ly/1CVbLu2). CL&P and the cable companies said they weren’t requesting oral argument over their exceptions, but reserved the right to request them later if other parties sought oral arguments. Other parties, including Frontier and AT&T (http://bit.ly/1oR3I9h), said they had no objections to the draft decision and urged PURA to formally approve the deal.

A Frontier Communications spokesman confirmed Wednesday that the Department of Commerce is investigating the telco’s use of $42 million in Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) funds earmarked to build a fiber network in West Virginia. The West Virginia Gazette had reported that Commerce was investigating whether Frontier had falsified invoices and whether state officials had deliberately ignored problems. The state government reduced the project’s size from 915 miles of fiber to 675 miles, but Frontier still received the full $42 million in BTOP funds. Frontier has “cooperated with requests for information, including third-party audits of the BTOP project,” and “provided full reviews and complete reports about the build throughout the grant process,” a spokesman said. Frontier also addressed all of the issues raised in recent media reports and “will respond to each and every question that officials ask and provide them all of the information they seek,” he said. A spokeswoman for West Virginia Chief Technology Officer Gale Given confirmed that the state Office of Technology is gathering information that Commerce requested and will submit it by an Oct. 17 deadline. A spokesman for Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser said it was the department’s policy to “neither confirm nor deny investigations."

Time Warner Cable said all of its customers in the Austin metropolitan area have access to its gigabit TWC Maxx service following months of network upgrades. TWC said it’s also continuing upgrades in New York and Los Angeles, the two other current target cities for the TWC Maxx services. An additional seven markets are set to launch in 2015, TWC said. The TWC Maxx also includes a larger on-demand library, all-digital lineup and a more advanced set-top box, the company said Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1s7BITG).

A CityNet dispute with Frontier Communications in West Virginia over Frontier’s business practices will go before an administrative law judge Jan. 27, the West Virginia Public Service Commission said Monday (http://bit.ly/1xXoBYM). CityNet had asked the PSC to investigate its claim that Frontier was impeding competition by not leasing unused portions of its fiber infrastructure in the state to competitors. The PSC referred the case last week to an administrative law judge, saying CityNet’s claims didn’t warrant a general commission investigation because the issue “is not a general issue affecting public utilities.” The PSC also suggested CityNet and Frontier use mediation to settle the dispute before it goes before an administrative law judge (http://bit.ly/1s4q1yp). The PSC set an Oct. 15 deadline for CityNet and Frontier to submit any mediation requests. If the parties choose not to pursue mediation, the dispute will go before an administrative law judge at 9 a.m. Jan. 27 at the PSC’s Charleston headquarters. The PSC is seeking a ruling in the case by April 3. Both CityNet and Frontier said the PSC’s decision was a positive development.

Metronet said it’s launching gigabit Internet service in 19 communities in central Indiana. The service is now available to Metronet’s residential customers within the city limits of all 19 communities: Connersville, Crawfordsville, Franklin, Greencastle, Huntington, Lafontaine, Lebanon, Madison, New Castle, North Manchester, North Vernon, Seymour, Vincennes, Wabash, Whiteland/New Whiteland, West Lafayette/Lafayette and Ulen. Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann (R) praised Metronet in a news release for launching gigabit service, saying “broadband connectivity is a critical issue facing many small towns and rural communities in our state.” Metronet said Thursday it also quadrupled Internet speeds for residential customers who subscribe to triple-play bundles (http://mwne.ws/1rATCz6).

Windstream said Lincoln, Nebraska, will be the first place it will deploy its new Kinetic next-generation TV service. The company said it will make the Kinetic service available to more than 50,000 homes in Lincoln beginning in the first half of 2015 and will deploy to “select Windstream communities” beginning in the second half of the year. The Kinetic service includes whole-home DVR and wireless set-top boxes, along with multiscreen viewing and on-demand programming, Windstream said Thursday. The company has a “strong” 15-year relationship with Lincoln that, “coupled with the local residents’ appreciation and desire for innovative technology, makes Lincoln the obvious choice for Kinetic’s inauguration,” said David Redmond, Windstream president-consumer services, in a news release (http://bit.ly/1r3Bd7S).

The California Public Utilities Commission delayed plans to reconsider whether to submit comments to the FCC supporting the federal body’s net neutrality Communications Act Title II NPRM after CPUC Commissioner Carla Peterman placed a hold Wednesday on the vote for “further review.” CPUC will now consider the possible FCC comments at its Oct. 16 meeting. The CPUC had planned to vote at its Thursday meeting on whether to submit comments to the FCC supporting reclassification of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service. Industry participants had predicted a delay was very possible because Peterman remained undecided on her vote (CD Oct 2 p12).

Correction: One of three proposals the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is considering for overlaying a new area code in the area now served by the 317 code would overlay the new code only in central Indianapolis and let customers outside that area continue using seven-digit dialing until new phone numbers in the 317 code are exhausted (CD Sept 26 p15).