Competition is a better guarantor of good customer service than FCC rules, multiple industry groups said as they pushed back against proposals floated in the FCC's customer service NOI. The NOI was adopted 3-2 in October along party lines (see 2410230036). In comments in docket 24-472, which were due Friday, some industry groups also argued that the agency lacks legal standing on customer service rules. "Careful consideration will confirm that the Commission lacks anything like the plenary authority" to adopt a single set of customer service rules, CTIA said. Disability advocacy organizations, meanwhile, made suggestions for customer service requirements.

The early submissions to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on whether the 7.5% and 25% tariffs on Chinese goods should continue were heavily against continuing the action. More than 90% of the 27 submissions either said end all the tariffs or urged dropping the ones that affect businesses or workers.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will keep watching Frontier Communications, said members, as they closed an investigation into the company’s “virtual separation” at a partially virtual meeting Thursday. Union officials urged commissioners to keep docket 21-150 open due to their concerns about Frontier investment and workforce levels. Commissioners adopted a decision seeking more information on those subjects in existing Frontier service-quality docket 18-122, where they said oversight will continue.

Industry groups pressed NTIA to give states maximum flexibility in awarding the billions of forthcoming dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as the agency prepares to roll out program rules for the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) and middle-mile programs, in comments we reviewed (see 2202070053). The agency made most of the more than 750 comments it received available Wednesday.

After the sudden death of Richard Trumka, Liz Shuler was elected president of the AFL-CIO, the federation of unions announced Aug. 20. Shuler is the first woman to lead the AFL-CIO. Shuler started as an organizer at Electrical Workers (IBEW), and worked at that union's political/legislative affairs department in Washington, D.C., before becoming secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO.

After the sudden death of Richard Trumka, Liz Shuler was elected president of the AFL-CIO, the federation of unions announced Aug. 20. Shuler is the first woman to lead the AFL-CIO. Shuler started as an organizer at Electrical Workers (IBEW), and worked at that union's political/legislative affairs department in Washington, D.C., before becoming secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO.

Consolidated Communications reached a tentative four-year agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Locals 2320, 2326 and 2327, and the Communications Workers of America, Local 1400, Consolidated said Sunday. IBEW Local 2327 said in a statement Sunday it "achieved vastly improved subcontractor language and decreased transfer of work by several percent." The deal is contingent on ratification meetings by union members.

Letters Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sent Friday to executives from major broadcasters ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC added further fuel to ongoing chatter about the direction of Congress' debate on Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is continuing to eye circulating a draft renewal measure in the coming weeks (see 1910300055), but lobbyists are becoming doubtful it will be ready for an early November markup, as originally anticipated. The law will expire Dec. 31 absent recertification.

Frontier Communications agreed to sell its telco/ISP operations in the northwest U.S. for $1.35 billion to investment firms. It continues a trend of asset sales of around that size by telcos throughout the country. More wireline assets in other parts of the country may also be on the block, noted Wells Fargo's Jennifer Fritzsche. She and others noted some of Frontier's assets now being sold were themselves previously acquired from others. The operations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana include some unionized workers, union officials told us. The Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers didn't comment. Of the 1,000 employees who will switch to the new company, about 800 belong to CWA and IBEW, "and the buyer will assume responsibility for the existing collective bargaining agreements," a Frontier spokesperson emailed us. Unions in other states have complained about telcos' service. Frontier customer complaints in Washington state have increased in recent years but not in some of the other three states, we found. Frontier "will be working very closely with the new owners to ensure a smooth, successful transition,” said CEO Dan McCarthy Wednesday. There have been issues during similar transitions involving other companies. The acquirer declined to comment. The Oregon Citizens' Utility Board's take is "one of caution before digging into the details," Outreach Manager Samuel Pastrick emailed us. "Any sale of Frontier's Oregon assets must represent good value and consideration for their customers, particularly those who have not historically or do not currently benefit from the IP transition." Eric Zinterhofer, founding partner of Searchlight Capital Partners, which is helping buy the operations along with Steve Weed's WaveDivision Capital, noted Weed and colleagues have built "best-in-class fiber networks" that "will enable us to accelerate the deployment of superior next generation products.” As "WaveDivision ran and sold a cable company in this geographic region," Fritzsche emailed investors, "they know the market very well and clearly have operational experience." The analyst still "firmly" thinks the fragmented rural "LEC group overall needs to see consolidation." CenturyLink may consider selling its consumer business (see 1905090008). Besides DOJ and the FCC, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., Montana, Oregon and Washington regulators and some local video franchise authorities will review the transaction, Frontier said. It expects to complete the sale within a year. "CFIUS must review the transaction because a Canadian venture fund is one of the limited partners in Searchlight," said Frontier's spokesperson. As of March 31, the carrier had in the four states about 150,000 fiber broadband and as many copper broadband connections.

Frontier Communications agreed to sell its wireline operations in the northwest U.S. for $1.35 billion to investment firms, including one founded and run by a cable entrepreneur Steve Weed. It continues a trend of asset sales of around that size by telcos throughout the country. More wireline assets in other parts of the country may also be on the block, noted Wells Fargo's Jennifer Fritzsche. She and others noted that some of Frontier's assets now being sold were themselves previously acquired from others.