CPUC Raises Concerns With Rosenworcel on 'Significant' Broadband Coverage Overstatements

California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Busching Reynolds and member Genevieve Shiroma met with FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on broadband data collection concerns, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-195. Reynolds discussed the availability challenge process and “the FCC’s concerns with California’s bulk availability challenge,” CPUC said: “Given California’s size and the short amount of time to analyze the data, the CPUC was not able to fully validate the provider submissions.” CPUC said most of its bulk availability challenge records are for fixed-wireless ISPs “that did not have commensurate subscriber data to validate their deployment claims.” The state is concerned it could lose “significant” broadband, equity, access and deployment program funds due to coverage overstatements, the filing said: “Reynolds requested Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s guidance on how to alleviate these concerns, whether it could be resolved through the challenge process, and whether a rule change would be necessary or whether the CPUC could explore some other procedural avenue.”