An AT&T-backed California bill that reshapes rules for seeking relief from carrier of last resort (COLR) obligation won't move forward, the carrier confirmed Monday. A revised Senate Communications Committee agenda for Tuesday’s meeting said the bill was pulled from the hearing. AT&T had turned its attention to trying to pass AB-2797 in the California legislature to change COLR rules after the California Public Utilities Commission denied the company relief from the obligation last month (see 2406200065). “While we are disappointed that AB 2797 will not be voted on, we are committed to working with state lawmakers, community groups and stakeholders to find a path forward that keeps customers connected, modernizes California’s communications network, and ensures no customer will be left without voice and 911 services,” AT&T California President Marc Blakeman said in an emailed statement. The bill’s demise is a win for California phone customers, said The Utility Reform Network Telecom Policy Director Regina Costa: “AT&T retreated as a result of outrage from thousands of Californians and the organizations who oppose the bill because AT&T's plan is a threat to universal service and public safety.” Comments are due this fall on a CPUC rulemaking to consider updating COLR rules for modern technology. “The bill wasn’t about modernizing AT&T’s network,” Costa said. “It was about giving AT&T the power to walk away from providing any kind of service wherever it chose.”
Finland’s Nokia is acquiring California-based Infinera for $2.3 billion to bolster its optical networks business, a late news release said Thursday.
California telecom service quality standards could expand to more types of providers and carry new penalties under a California Public Utilities Commission staff proposal released last week. Current enforcement for plain old telephone service (POTS) hasn’t improved service, CPUC staff found. “In addition, the light-touch approach for VoIP and wireless services has not yielded improved service quality for those customers.”
A top California communications lawmaker pushed back on industry opposition to a bill that would require $30 affordable internet plans as a condition of receiving California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) infrastructure grants. The Assembly Communications Committee voted 8-2, with two Republicans voting no, to advance SB-424 at a Wednesday hearing. In addition, the committee voted 10-0 for bills that set broadband labor standards (SB-1460) and expand eligibility for CASF public housing broadband grants (SB-1383). All three pieces of legislation, previously passed by the Senate, will go to the Appropriations Committee.
California’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted 9-2 Tuesday to advance a bill that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for the news content they carry, similar to approaches seen in Australia, Canada and Europe.
It appears House Republican leadership isn’t willing to bring the House Commerce Committee’s bipartisan privacy bill to the floor because it lacks the necessary votes to pass, members and sources close to discussions told us Wednesday.
An administrative law judge recommended a $200,000 fine for T-Mobile’s MetroPCS in a California Public Utilities Commission investigation related to a state universal service fund surcharges dispute. The CPUC’s enforcement division sought a $10 million fine because the carrier insufficiently responded to a Sept. 27, 2021, data request (see 2209230032). MetroPCS’ response violated the state utilities code and a commission rule, and the carrier should pay the maximum $100,000 allowed for each offense, ALJ Robert Mason said. But the judge disagreed with the enforcement division that the company’s conduct was a continuing offense, which would allow for higher penalties. A pending and related court case didn’t excuse the carrier from responding fully, said Mason, who also dismissed the carrier's other objections. “A penalty is … needed to punish the degree of MetroPCS’ wrongdoing and ensure the protection of the public interest,” he said. Parties in docket I.22-04-005 have until July 25 to appeal the ALJ decision, or it will become final. T-Mobile didn’t comment.
California and France privacy regulators will collaborate under a declaration the California Privacy Protection Agency announced Tuesday. CPPA Executive Director Ashkan Soltani and Marie-Laure Denis, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL) chair, signed the pact in Paris. “We’re excited to collaborate with the CNIL and pave the way for information sharing on areas of mutual interest,” Soltani said in a CPPA news release. Denis said, “We are looking forward to working together on common research projects, to exchanging good practices or to sharing experiences. Data circulation on a global scale requires such an approach to go beyond the national and European framework.”
California’s Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday passed legislation that would ban companies from using children’s personal data to train AI systems without parental consent. The committee unanimously advanced AB-2877, and it’s now up for Senate Appropriations Committee consideration. Introduced by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D), the bill passed the California Assembly 73-0 in May. The legislation expands privacy protections under the California Consumer Privacy Act to include machine-learning technology. Bauer-Kahan told the committee the expansion is necessary because California passed its privacy law before the widespread use of AI. AB-2877 would require parental consent for children under 13 and teen consent for users aged 13-15. TechNet and the California Chamber of Commerce oppose the legislation. Chamber Policy Advocate Ronak Daylami said the bill is rooted in the assumption that it’s inherently harmful to use a teen’s personal information to train AI. Legislators should focus on a technology’s outputs instead of regulating and interfering with inputs, she said. Sen. Benjamin Allen (D) briefly noted the bill's potential for pushing companies out of California but conceded he hadn’t fully studied the measure. California’s current budget crisis has “made me acutely aware of how dependent we are on the tech industry to pay for all the programs we like,” Allen said. The legislation doesn’t impede businesses' ability to operate in the state, said Bauer-Kahan, noting a desire from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for the state to lead in AI technology (see 2405300064). Brokers are making a lot of money selling Californians’ data, and the state should clarify that it’s not allowed with kids unless there’s parental consent, she said.
A California Senate panel scaled back what the California Public Utilities Commission could require from cable companies under a proposed update of the state’s 2006 video franchise law, known as the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA). At a hearing webcast Monday, the Senate Communications Committee voted 12-4 to approve the Assembly-passed AB-1826 with amendments. The Senate committee delayed receiving testimony on an Assembly-passed equity bill (AB-2239) that would ban digital discrimination as defined by the FCC (see 2405230012).