During a panel at NARUC's Winter Policy Summit this week (see 2502250010), Michael Santorelli, director of New York Law School's Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute, mentioned New York's Affordable Broadband Act, on which the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for rehearing Monday. States shouldn't follow New York's lead because the law is "unnecessary and sets a dangerous precedent for legislative overreach," Santorelli said. Instead, he urged that states focus on "updating laws to facilitate broadband buildout."
Broadband officials and experts emphasized the need for greater communication and partnerships between industry and government to complete the transition from copper infrastructure to fiber and other technologies during NARUC's Winter Policy Summit on Tuesday. Some stressed the need for greater oversight of the transition and carrier of last resort (COLR) obligations. Others discussed the potential effects of the challenge to the FCC's Title II broadband reclassification and the U.S. Supreme Court's decision for a second time to deny rehearing a challenge to New York's broadband affordability law.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- State utility commissioners at the NARUC conference grappled Tuesday with the U.S. Supreme Court reversal of the Chevron doctrine. Loper Bright, “though not framed as a federalist decision," has "modest pro-state implications,” Wilkinson Barker’s Daniel Kahn said during a panel of telecom law experts. Earlier, an NTCA official told the NARUC Telecom Committee that his association plans to seek reconsideration of an FCC order on next-generation 911 if commissioners approve it at their Thursday meeting.
ISPs protested a NARUC task force’s focus on electric utilities expanding into broadband. Utility officials at the group’s virtual meeting Wednesday applauded a proposed recommendation to reduce barriers to nontraditional providers. Don’t forget wireless or anchor institutions, said other commenters.
NTCA elects Fred Johnson, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, as chairman; Keith Oliver, Home Telephone Co., as vice chairman; and Barry Adair, Wabash Communications Co-Op, as secretary/treasurer ... Optimus Ride taps ex-Verizon Vice President, City Solutions Sean Harrington as CEO and member of its board, replacing co-founder Ryan Chin, who remains at the autonomous vehicle technology systems developer "with responsibility over policy and sustainability initiatives" ... WWE appoints Karen Mullane controller-chief accounting officer; she's ex-corporate controller and interim chief financial officer, Etsy ... Board member Arun Sarin leaves Cisco, which says directors "reduced the size of the Board to nine members effective with Mr. Sarin’s resignation."
NTCA elects Fred Johnson, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, as chairman; Keith Oliver, Home Telephone Co., as vice chairman; and Barry Adair, Wabash Communications Co-Op, as secretary/treasurer ... Optimus Ride taps ex-Verizon Vice President, City Solutions Sean Harrington as CEO and member of its board, replacing co-founder Ryan Chin, who remains at the autonomous vehicle technology systems developer "with responsibility over policy and sustainability initiatives" ... WWE appoints Karen Mullane controller-chief accounting officer; she's ex-corporate controller and interim chief financial officer, Etsy ... Board member Arun Sarin leaves Cisco, which says directors "reduced the size of the Board to nine members effective with Mr. Sarin’s resignation."
As voice providers implement signature-based handling of asserted information using tokens/secure telephony identity revisited (Shaken/Stir) to combat robocalls, they should maintain customer service and other resources to help consumers and call originators on call labeling. That's among recommendations the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee unanimously approved Wednesday without discussion. The Caller ID Authentication Working Group also recommended the commission do studies with stakeholders, including industry and consumer groups, on what factors providers should consider in displaying caller ID information to consumers; collaborate with stakeholders to educate consumers “about how caller ID services, consumer display practices, and other measures can respond to evolving illegal and unwanted robocaller tactics”; continue evaluating how to encourage voice service providers to continue “innovating and improving caller ID services”; and develop webpages and educational campaigns using simple language for implementation. It recommended voice providers “clearly and proactively” inform consumers about caller ID services they offer. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly warned CAC about “unintended consequences” of government intervention. “Many robocalls are beneficial to the public,” he said in a recorded video. "No one should want to block” robocalls from doctors, pharmacies or schools, O’Rielly said. Chairman Ajit Pai still expects major voice providers to implement Shaken/Stir by year-end. “If they don’t, we will be taking action,” he said. He again noted “no silver bullet” exists to prevent all robocalls and “we have to take a multipronged and multistakeholder approach” (see 1907110023). The WG spent time gathering information, including researching reports of robocalls and hearing presentations from AARP, AT&T, CenturyLink, ATIS' Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority, T-Mobile and TNS, said Michael Santorelli, the group’s co-chair, who's deemed a special government employee. The CAC meeting also featured bureau updates, including on 5G, consumer-related legislation and precision agriculture. Kristi Thompson, Enforcement Bureau Telecom Consumers Division chief, gave an update on consumer scams and “scumbag telemarketing.” Combating fraud "is not only a good idea, but it is a necessity,” she said. “If consumers no longer value their telephone voice services … that’s an existential threat to the service providers.” Noting “we tackled the cramming problems” of unapproved charges on consumer phone bills, “now a trickle of what they were,” she said there's room for hope in fighting scams: “We can succeed again.”
As voice providers implement signature-based handling of asserted information using tokens/secure telephony identity revisited (Shaken/Stir) to combat robocalls, they should maintain customer service and other resources to help consumers and call originators on call labeling. That's among recommendations the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee unanimously approved Wednesday without discussion. The Caller ID Authentication Working Group also recommended the commission do studies with stakeholders, including industry and consumer groups, on what factors providers should consider in displaying caller ID information to consumers; collaborate with stakeholders to educate consumers “about how caller ID services, consumer display practices, and other measures can respond to evolving illegal and unwanted robocaller tactics”; continue evaluating how to encourage voice service providers to continue “innovating and improving caller ID services”; and develop webpages and educational campaigns using simple language for implementation. It recommended voice providers “clearly and proactively” inform consumers about caller ID services they offer. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly warned CAC about “unintended consequences” of government intervention. “Many robocalls are beneficial to the public,” he said in a recorded video. "No one should want to block” robocalls from doctors, pharmacies or schools, O’Rielly said. Chairman Ajit Pai still expects major voice providers to implement Shaken/Stir by year-end. “If they don’t, we will be taking action,” he said. He again noted “no silver bullet” exists to prevent all robocalls and “we have to take a multipronged and multistakeholder approach” (see 1907110023). The WG spent time gathering information, including researching reports of robocalls and hearing presentations from AARP, AT&T, CenturyLink, ATIS' Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority, T-Mobile and TNS, said Michael Santorelli, the group’s co-chair, who's deemed a special government employee. The CAC meeting also featured bureau updates, including on 5G, consumer-related legislation and precision agriculture. Kristi Thompson, Enforcement Bureau Telecom Consumers Division chief, gave an update on consumer scams and “scumbag telemarketing.” Combating fraud "is not only a good idea, but it is a necessity,” she said. “If consumers no longer value their telephone voice services … that’s an existential threat to the service providers.” Noting “we tackled the cramming problems” of unapproved charges on consumer phone bills, “now a trickle of what they were,” she said there's room for hope in fighting scams: “We can succeed again.”
Reed Smith hires from Arent Fox Sarah Bruno as partner-global intellectual property, tech and data, and Casey Perrino as associate-data privacy and security counseling ... Subject Matter adds Bill Ghent, ex-The Lugar-Hellmann Group, to government relations team, including tech focus ... K2 Intelligence names former Rep. Dan Donovan, R-N.Y., senior adviser.
INDIANAPOLIS -- A now-combined state telecom commissioners' resolution asking the FCC to halt changes to the billion-dollar-a-year phone and broadband program for the poor passed its NARUC committee unanimously, in minutes. Such quick passage, while not atypical, shows lack of controversy among industry and state regulators for waiting on Lifeline revamps, attendees told us. There was no public discussion immediately before the vote and no one abstained, another sign stakeholders are on the same page, they noted.