Today: California Schedules Prehearing in Pole Attachment Complaint Cast, FCC Releases Shutdown Plan, New Hampshire Opts-Out of FirstNet Plan 

California Schedules Prehearing in Pole Attachment Complaint Case

The PUC scheduled a prehearing conference for January 8, 2018, in the California Cable & Telecommunications Association (CCTA) complaint against San Diego Gas & Electric Company for “imposing unreasonable charges” for the use of its utility infrastructure.  The prehearing conference will determine the parties, positions of the parties, issues, and other procedural matters.  CCTA asked the PUC to consider:  (a) Whether SDG&E’s proposed pole attachment rate is just and reasonable, and is consistent with the mandates of the California PU Code and (b) What pole attachment rate would be just and reasonable for SDG&E to charge cable companies for attaching to its utility poles.

FCC Shutdown Plan

The FCC released a plan for an orderly shutdown of operations should the government shutdown over the weekend.  During a shutdown all FCC activities other than those immediately necessary for the protection of life or property, performing other excepted activities or funded through a source other than lapsed appropriations will cease. Suspended activities include, among many others: Consumer complaint and inquiry phone lines cannot be answered; consumer protection and local competition enforcement must cease; and licensing services, including broadcast, wireless, and wireline, must cease.  If there is a shutdown, FCC employees will report to work the first business day following the lapse in appropriations to shutdown their work in an orderly fashion.  Only 15% of the work force will be retained during the shutdown, the vast majority of which are engaged in spectrum auction-related activities that are not funded through annual appropriations. 

New Hampshire Opts-Out of FirstNet Plan

Governor Chris Sununu announced that New Hampshire will opt out of the FirstNet plan and will instead pursue a contract with Rivada Networks, LLC for the provision of an alternative plan for the build out of a high speed wireless broadband network for New Hampshire's first responders.  The Governor issued the following statement:

"New Hampshire's Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee determined from a technical standpoint that an opt-out of FirstNet is far and away our best option, as evidenced by their unanimous 15-0 vote. Rivada has proposed a plan that has the potential to provide immense value to our State, including unparalleled public safety infrastructure investments that will lead to unmatched and near universal coverage for the new public safety network.  If we successfully navigate the opt-out path, New Hampshire will retain a level of control that it would not have enjoyed in an opt-in scenario.  I am pleased that we have the opportunity to pursue a plan that will provide the maximum benefit to our public safety community and all of our citizens.  New Hampshire deserves nothing less."

____________________________

The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Briefing.