The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission already “extensively litigated” issues raised in a Lumen petition disputing an order finding violations of state service-quality rules, the state’s attorney general's office said Monday in docket C-20-432. The AG office urged that the PUC reject the petition to reconsider ordering Lumen’s CenturyLink to quickly rehabilitate its network statewide (see 2409300012). CenturyLink failed to satisfy the standard for reconsideration and the commission order reflects the record and the law, said the office, adding that the company hasn't provided good service for years.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission plans to hold informal conferences about pole attachments on Friday, as well as Nov. 1, Nov. 22 and Dec. 3, said a PSC order Friday. All the meetings start at 10 a.m. and will be virtual and in-person.

West Virginia cable companies and utilities must use email and text messages when notifying customers about planned and unplanned outages, the West Virginia Public Service Commission said Friday. Also, the PSC asked the companies to seek updated contact information from customers. The directive follows a PSC investigation into outage notifications (see 2407310043).

The Nebraska Public Service Commission awarded U.S. Cellular nearly $5.5 million to construct 10 cellular towers near 10 communities through a Nebraska Universal Service Fund wireless fund, the PSC said Friday. The company pledged to complete construction within 24 months, said the commission.

NTIA hopes it will wrap up approvals of states' and territories’ initial plans for the broadband, equity access and deployment (BEAD) program by month’s end, Administrator Alan Davidson said Friday. At a virtual press conference, Davidson joined White House and California officials in announcing approval of volume two of California’s initial plan. The action greenlights California access to its $1.8 billion BEAD allocation, NTIA said. Just five states still need volume-two approval, an NTIA dashboard showed Friday. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Ohio and Texas. Timing of the remaining approvals depends “a little bit on the remaining states that are out there,” said Davidson. “We’re really … at the endpoint now and this is all very much still exactly on track and on time.” Davidson praised California for showing a commitment to investing in resiliency in its BEAD plan. Also, he said California has done well to weave together various federal and state funds in its effort to connect everyone. Meanwhile, National Economic Council Deputy Director Jon Donenberg praised the California plan’s emphasis on affordability. California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds said the BEAD funding is “vital” for bridging the digital divide. “We will maximize these funds,” said Reynolds. "Projects will be deployed in a timely fashion."

The California Public Utilities Commission might waive penalties from a condition in the CPUC’s November 2021 decision that approved Verizon buying Tracfone. The condition required that Verizon migrate all Tracfone wireless customers to the Verizon network within two years. The CPUC plans to vote Nov. 7 on draft resolution T-17849 to waive the penalty that would amount to $60,000 per day. “Verizon and TracFone have engaged in concerted efforts using a robust outreach plan, incentives, and strategies … to migrate customers in compliance with” the condition, the draft said. “The Commission understands that it is the consumer's choice not to migrate to the Verizon network. Customers who choose not to migrate despite repeated efforts to inform them of the opportunity to do so and not lose service will receive ample notice 60 days, 30 days, and 7 days before their service ends.” Consumer advocates have been fighting with Verizon over customer migration delays (see 2402230055).

Don’t make wireless carriers become carriers of last resort (COLR), CTIA said in comments posted Thursday at the California Public Utilities Commission. The CPUC received comments this week about updating COLR obligations (see 2410020037). Directing wireless companies to involuntarily be COLRs “would be inconsistent with the competitive marketplace in which wireless providers operate,” said the wireless industry association. The “classical elements of COLR policy are ill-adapted to, or … prohibited in, the wireless marketplace,” added CTIA: Under federal law, no state may regulate wireless rates or market entry.

The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously passed an 811 measure that would reauthorize the state’s call-before-you-dig law. Senators voted 48-0 for SB-1237 on Tuesday. The House Consumer Protection Committee sent a similar measure (HB-2189) to the floor on Monday (see 2409300010). The House voted narrowly to amend the bill and recommitted it to the Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Appropriations panel cleared HB-2189 and the House voted 120-82 to pass the bill.

Tech industry groups urged South Dakota lawmakers to hit the brakes on a possible age-verification bill. The legislature’s Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Internet Access is weighing proposals (one, two and three) requiring age verification of children when accessing apps from app stores. “If enacted, such proposals would almost assuredly violate South Dakotans’ First Amendment rights, weaken their privacy, and fail to keep kids safe online,” NetChoice wrote Wednesday. Industry is litigating age-verification measures in several other states. “Implementing such a measure in South Dakota would likely meet the same fight and lead to costly legal challenges without providing any real benefits to the state's residents,” NetChoice added. Requiring companies to verify ages and parental consent “raise[s] significant privacy concerns,” the Computer & Communications Industry Association wrote to the study committee earlier this week. “The proposed act suggests imposing a government-mandated requirement that conflicts with data minimization principles ingrained in standard federal and international privacy and data protection compliance practices,” said CCIA. The association added, “Age verification solely at the device operating system or application store level overlooks access to websites via desktop or other devices.”

Kansas plans that it will open applications Oct. 21 for NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, Gov. Laura Kelly (D) said Monday. It will close the window for seeking funding on Dec. 5, Kelly's office said. NTIA allocated $451.7 million to Kansas.