Utilities cannot impose a “blanket ban” on attachments to utility poles.  So says the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau in a declaratory ruling released Wednesday in response to a petition filed by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Associations.  The WCB ruling concludes that a ban is inconsistent with requirements that any denial of access be specific to […]

During its Summer Policy Summit this week the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ board of directors approved a resolution asking Congress to reject HR 7160, legislation which would allow non-ETC designated entities to receive federal USF support for broadband deployment.  

There were two congressional forays of note this week regarding broadband availability. The first is Arizona Republican Representative Tom O’Halleran’s Broadband Adoption and Opportunity Act which is designed to leverage public-private partnerships to refurbish internet-capable devices for students and underserved families to keep them connected. The second is California Democrat Anna Eshoo’s National Broadband Plan […]

The latest round in the battle over whether the governor or the legislature can end a disaster declaration went to Governor Wolf this week in the form of a split decision of the state Supreme Court. Writing for the majority, Justice David Wecht offered that the legislature may regret giving the governor the power to […]

Yesterday, PA Governor Tom Wolf joined ten of his fellow governors and penned a letter to President Trump and leaders in both congressional chambers pleading for more resources for BB deployment. The correspondence touched on familiar themes such as the digital divide: “Some 18 million Americans lack access to broadband internet connectivity, 14 million of […]

At its Public Meeting yesterday, the PUC found itself in the unenviable position of being deadlocked 2-2 on a couple of telco-related items. First, the Commissioners addressed the relay surcharge, with Commissioners Coleman and Yanora proposing to reduce the 8-cent levy to zero for the upcoming year based, in part on the sizeable surplus currently […]

On the House side, two rural BB bills passed unanimously in the form of HB 2348 (establishes a $ 5 million deployment fund), and HB2438 (streamlines the easement process for rural electric co-ops who want to deliver BB).

Much as he tries (?) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg can’t seem to get out of the limelight when it comes to what shows up on his site and whether or not it should stay there. This week was marked by an internal virtual “walkout” at the company over the President’s posts and Zuckerburg’s decision to […]

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro was one of 39 state attorneys general to sign correspondence recently sent to Congressional leaders in the House and Senate asking for specific goals to be addressed in the next COVID bill. The AGs highlighted adequate and flexible funding to state and local governments and increased funding for the federal […]