The California Public Utilities Commission could collect feedback this fall on whether to revise its carrier of last resort (COLR) rules, according to a proposed decision released Monday. The CPUC plans a June 20 vote on opening a rulemaking to weigh possible changes to COLR rules, along with a related item that would deny COLR relief to AT&T (see 2406050016 and 2405310029), a meeting agenda also posted Monday said. “In general, the purpose of this proceeding is to consider whether the Commission should revise its COLR rules and, if yes, what those revisions should be,” the CPUC draft said. The proposed rulemaking would adopt “a rebuttable presumption that the COLR construct remains necessary, at least for certain individuals or communities in California,” it said. Among other questions, the CPUC would ask if there are areas that may no longer require a COLR, if it should require VoIP or wireless providers to be COLRs, and if it should revise rules on how current COLRs may shed those obligations. If approved by the California commissioners, comments would be due Sept. 30, replies Oct. 30.

Nebraska signed a five-year contract with RapidSOS that will provide enhancements for next-generation 911 at the state’s 67 public safety answering points, the Nebraska Public Service Commission said Friday. One feature of the upgrade is that PSAPs will be able to get location information from wireless callers even if the carrier can’t deliver the call, the PSC said. “Many Nebraska PSAPs currently utilize RapidSOS,” said PSC State 911 Director David Sankey. “Elevating all PSAPs to the company’s UNITE modules, will provide even more tools to supplement caller location capabilities should a disruption in wireless service occur.”

State Rep. Evan Shanley (D) predicted Friday the Rhode Island House will vote on his comprehensive privacy bill this week. A House committee advanced an amended version of H-7787 on Thursday (see 2406060071). Shanley expects the Senate version (SB-2500) by Sen. Louis DiPalma (D) “will advance as well,” he told us. Meanwhile, the Vermont legislature delivered a privacy bill (H-121) to Gov. Phil Scott (R) Friday. He has five days to veto the bill, or it will become law. The tech industry seeks a veto due to differences with other state laws, including that Vermont’s bill has a broad private right of action (see 2405300038).

California could soon release more than $100 million in last-mile broadband grants through the California Public Utilities Commission's federal funding account (FFA), the CPUC said Friday. Three projects in Plumas County will receive $16.7 million through staff-delegated authority, the CPUC said. In addition, commissioners will consider two draft resolutions for an additional $88.6 million in awards at a July 11 meeting, the agency said. Draft resolution T-17826 recommends $44.1 million for unserved areas in Imperial, Lassen and Plumas counties. The Golden State Connect Authority and Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications would build the networks. Draft resolution T-17829 recommends $44.4 million for unserved areas in Alameda, San Francisco and Sierra counties. The awardees in that draft would be Plumas-Sierra and the cities of Oakland, Fremont and San Francisco. The CPUC has $2 billion available in the FFA and received applications requesting more than $4.6 billion total, the agency said. California Assembly Communications Committee Chair Tasha Boerner Horvath (D) raised concerns earlier this week about CPUC delays getting last-mile grants using 2021 American Rescue Plan Act dollars out the door (see 2406050065).

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) announced $81.5 million for broadband from the final round of its Next Level Connections program. The governor’s office said Thursday that it expects it will connect more than 34,000 homes and commercial locations across 54 counties. The fourth-round awardees included 17 telecom companies and utility cooperatives, Holcomb’s office said. ISP big winners included Comcast (about $9.4 million), Charter ($9.3 million), Surf Air Wireless ($8.6 million), BerryComm ($7 million), AT&T ($6.6 million) and Brightspeed ($5.6 million).

The California Public Utilities Commission may vote July 11 on a proposed decision related to ratemaking for small local exchange carriers. It would respond to Calaveras Telephone and other small LECs’ September 2022 application seeking approval to establish cost of capital for each company’s ratemaking purposes (see 2306070065). Cost of capital is the rate of return a company may recover on infrastructure investments. The CPUC draft would establish a cost of capital for 2022-2025. “To arrive at the Cost of Capital for the Small LECs, this decision adopts a hypothetical capital structure” of 55% equity and 45% debt, “which we find to be consistent with our findings with respect to the regulatory capital structure of these companies,” the draft said.

LTD Broadband may relinquish its eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation in Minnesota, the state’s Public Utilities Commission said in an order released Friday. Parties reached an agreement last month resolving the PUC’s proceeding (docket 22-221) on revoking LTD’s designation (see 2405030074). The ISP had asked to surrender its ETC status because the FCC canceled the company’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support (see 2405020042). Also Friday, the Minnesota PUC said it will decide at its June 20 meeting on a service quality probe involving Lumen. The PUC will vote on whether the company violated state rules and what the remedies should be if so (docket C-20-432). State agencies last month pressed the PUC to support an administrative law judge’s recommendation that it require the carrier to rehab its copper network (see 2404150068).

Rhode Island state legislators revised a comprehensive privacy bill at a hearing Thursday. The House Innovation Internet and Technology Committee voted 9-0 to recommend passage of a substitute to H-7787. The “biggest change” in the update accepted by the committee “is that we’re creating two classifications” of regulated entities, sponsor Rep. Evan Shanley (D) said during the livestreamed hearing. Any entity subject to Rhode Island jurisdiction that collects, stores and sells personally identifiable information would have to disclose on its website the categories of information collected and the entities to whom they have sold or may sell the data. Meanwhile, for larger companies that control or process data of at least 35,000 customers or do so for at least 10,000 while deriving more than 20% of profits from the sale of personally identifiable information, customers would have a right to know what data has been collected about them and opt out of such collection. Other changes are meant to harmonize the bill with other states’ privacy laws, Shanley said.

Wisconsin will award $1.48 million to increase telecom access through state universal service programs, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission said this week. The PSC announced 24 grants through the Nonprofit Access Grant Program, the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program and the Telemedicine Equipment Grant Program. “These grants will help more people obtain the devices and telecommunications services needed to connect with one another and lead healthy, enriching lives,” PSC Chairperson Summer Strand said. The grant recipients included one county and 23 nonprofits, the agency said.

Windstream sought California approval of a May 3 pact with Uniti Group, in which Windstream will become the subsidiary of a new parent corporation, the telco said in a Wednesday application at the California Public Utilities Commission. “No assignment of licenses, certificates, assets, or customers by the Windstream Licensees nor the immediate parent entities of the Windstream Licensees will occur as a consequence of the proposed Transaction, which will occur at the parent holding company level.”