The FCC plans a USF webinar Jan. 24 tailored to state and local government officials, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs public notice Tuesday. The 2-3 p.m. EST webinar will provide an overview of how telecom subsidy funds are raised and distributed among the USF Connecting America (high cost), E-rate (schools and libraries), Lifeline (low income) and rural healthcare programs, said the PN, which had further details on registering for the event (a registration link can be copied and pasted if clicking on it doesn't work).

Arizona should tap the state USF to bring broadband to rural students, said Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin. In a Monday letter in docket RT-00000H-97-0137, Tobin supported Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s call for high-speed internet in rural and tribal areas. Tobin proposed a partnership with the governor, state superintendent and nonprofit EducationSuperHighway to create a state match of rural broadband funds for schools and libraries totaling $8 million to $13 million, the state commission said in a Tuesday news release. Tobin proposed a one-time distribution of $8 million from the Arizona USF to support the state match. The state match could help school districts obtain an estimated $80 million to $100 million in federal E-rate Category One funding, but Arizona must act quickly to meet a likely April deadline to submit funding applications to Universal Service Administrative Co., he said. To make the deadline, the state commission should open an emergency rulemaking, he said. Later this year, the commission should open another rulemaking examining the high-cost portion of the state USF, he said. “There is a real and troubling digital divide when it comes to internet access in our urban and rural areas,” Tobin wrote. “Every student must be afforded the same opportunity to learn, including those who live on tribal lands, in some inner city areas, or in the most remote reaches of the state.” Ducey said in the governor’s State of the State address Monday that “too many students, specifically in our rural areas, and in our tribal nations, are missing out. It’s 2017, but outside of our urban areas, broadband is still spotty. Let’s fix this, by connecting these rural schools to high-speed internet.” The proposed program will be discussed at a commission staff meeting Wednesday at 10 a.m. MST, the commission said.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau sought comment on a text-to-911 question by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. To resolve a conflict holding up Maine's adoption of text-to-911 via message session relay protocol, and so the state may appropriately assess costs, the PUC asked the FCC to clarify where the point of demarcation is between wireless providers and the state’s next-generation 911 network (see 1611180038), the FCC said in a Monday public notice in docket 11-153. “Maine believes that ‘the point of demarcation should be at the ingress designated by the Session Border Controller (SBC) of the State of Maine E SInet,’ [Emergency Services IP Network] but contends that the [Text Control Centers], ‘acting on behalf of wireless carriers, argue that the point of demarcation should be the egress side of the SBC used by the TCCs.’” The FCC also asked whether the answer could be generally applied to future multimedia communication in NG-911. Comments are due Feb. 8, replies March 10.

Clarification: The state proceeding that CenturyLink was referring to in saying that its petition won't affect regulation of government or commercial contracts was on deregulation in Minnesota (see 1701060033), not in New York on the company's planned buy of Level 3 (see 1701060043).

CenturyLink sought OK at the New York Public Service Commission for its $34 billion Level 3 buy. It asked for consent to the proposed transactions within 90 days, the companies said in a Friday cover letter to the petition posted in docket 17-00035. Federal regulators are expected to greenlight the deal, which also needs state OKs (see 1610310033).

The U.S. government objected to a CenturyLink petition to be regulated as a CLEC rather than an ILEC in Minnesota. DOD and other federal executive agencies (FEA) on Thursday filed a motion to intervene at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in docket 16-496. “DoD/FEA operates and is a large user of telecommunication services in the State of Minnesota,” the government said. “Telecommunication services are major expenses for DoD/FEA and this proceeding will have a significant impact on DoD/FEA.” Also, PUC Administrative Law Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig set a telephonic hearing for Jan. 17 on a motion by the Minnesota Department of Commerce to compel CenturyLink to provide complete responses to department information requests that were due Dec. 28. CenturyLink said the petition won't "impact regulation of government or commercial contracts,” a spokeswoman emailed us Friday.

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) appointed a Charter Communications executive to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, the governor said in a Wednesday news release. Hickenlooper appointed Charter Senior Manager-Government Relations Wendy Moser and Colorado Energy Office CEO Jeff Ackermann to the PUC. Ackermann will be chairman, filling the vacancy left by Joshua Epel (see 1701030043), and Moser will replace the retiring Glenn Vaad. They join returning commissioner Frances Koncilja on the three-member commission. The appointees need Senate confirmation, but can take their seats Jan. 9, a Hickenlooper spokeswoman said.

CTIA urged the California Public Utilities Commission to quickly align state LifeLine rules with changes to the federal low-income program. Commissioners may vote on updating its rules at the Jan. 19 meeting (see 1612160002). Updating the rules is especially important for California’s veterans and surviving spouses, CTIA said in comments, posted Thursday in docket 11-03-013. The FCC granted California a waiver of its Dec. 2 federal Lifeline deadline until June 1 on port freeze requirements and Oct. 31 on eligibility rules (see 1612070043).

Legislators in two states said to divert large amounts of 911 fees for unrelated purposes are reviving bills meant to stop the practice. A New York state senator Wednesday reintroduced a bill to stop fund diversion in the state, including using 911 fees on consumer bills to pay for things not directly related. New York diverted 41.6 percent of 911 revenue, or $77.3 million, to the state’s general fund in 2014, the FCC reported last year (see 1605270020). State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D) introduced SB-486 Wednesday, modeled after a bill that died in the previous session (see 1606240020). “The legislature shall not divert revenues derived from taxes and fees paid by the public into any dedicated fund for purposes other than those for which that fund was intended,” the bill said. “The only instance in which dedicated revenues may be diverted shall be upon declaration of a fiscal emergency by the governor, which shall be accompanied by a diversion impact statement.” Meanwhile, Rhode Island State Rep. Robert Lancia (R) told us Wednesday he will soon reintroduce his failed bill to stop 911 fee diversion in the state. Rhode Island diverted 69.5 percent, or $12.3 million, of 911 revenue in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, the FCC reported. Most went to the state’s general fund and some to its information technology fund, it said. Asked what he will do differently this session to achieve the bill’s passage, Lancia replied, “I am going to need folks to testify.” Top 911 associations have sought to raise awareness about state 911 fee diversion, which the FCC estimated led to $223.4 million of 911 fee revenue going to other purposes in 2014 (see 1605310046).

Alabama set a Jan. 31 deadline for its request for proposals seeking alternate plans for a FirstNet radio access network (RAN) if the governor opts out of the federal proposal for the national public safety network. FirstNet's delay in choosing a vendor forced Alabama and some other states to postpone deadlines for alternative RAN requests (see 1612190002). Alabama previously said proposals would be due 15 business days after FirstNet announced a vendor, but in a news release last week, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said FirstNet progress preparing state plans encouraged ALEA to set a concrete deadline. “They have indicated that they plan to have the state plan portal operational within 90 days of the announcement, and multiple key officials have made public statements that they are moving forward with their preparations for deployment of the FirstNet network as soon as the legal challenge is resolved,” ALEA said. “Based on FirstNet’s continued diligence towards providing the 56 states and territories with a viable state plan as soon as 90 days after the announcement of its nationwide partner, ALEA has determined that it is in the state’s best interest to establish a final deadline." Responses to a California request for information on alternative RAN plans are due Jan. 17, said the state’s procurement website (Event ID 3563).