Verizon asked Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to condition rather than deny deregulation of the carrier’s services. PURA plans to vote Oct. 16 on a draft order that would deny Verizon’s petition to reclassify its remaining services as competitive and retire the company’s alternative form of regulation plan (see 2410030043). The draft would find that possible harm to the public interest outweighs the presence of competition in Verizon’s Greenwich, Connecticut, market. Filing an exception Thursday, Verizon said PURA's “proposed decision includes a legal error and reaches conclusions on competition inconsistent with the evidentiary record.” Describing the alleged error, Verizon said, “That certain statutes would no longer apply to a company providing competitive services is precisely what the Legislature intended when it established a framework encompassing both the conditions for and consequences of reclassification … By relying on the regulatory changes that will necessarily accompany reclassification under the statutory scheme, the Authority in effect declared that reclassification itself is inherently contrary to the public interest.” However, Verizon said that if PURA grants reclassification, it would be willing to continue to be bound by current Connecticut customer termination procedures and certain state reporting requirements related to equipment conditions and accidents. The carrier proposed this condition previously. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel supported PURA’s proposed decision while recommending minor clarifications.

The Michigan Public Service Commission granted AT&T’s request to surrender its AT&T Corp. license after an internal restructuring. PSC members, at a partially virtual meeting Thursday, voted 2-0, with one commissioner absent, to grant a consent agenda including the AT&T item. AT&T Corp. no longer had customers or operations in Michigan due to a restructuring that transferred the customers to AT&T Enterprises, AT&T explained in a Sept. 10 letter (docket U-17031). “This internal restructuring was seamless to customers as AT&T Enterprises, LLC provides the same services, on the same terms and conditions, in the same service territory and using the same network as AT&T Corp. The customers’ services, prices, terms and conditions of service were not affected.”

The U.S. District Court for Southern Ohio set oral argument for March 12 on summary judgment motions in NetChoice’s challenge of Ohio’s social media parental notification law. The argument starts at 9:30 a.m. in Columbus, with 20 minutes for each side, including up to five minutes for rebuttals, Judge Algenon Marbley ordered Wednesday in case 2:24-cv-00047. NetChoice’s motion seeks to permanently block the statute on constitutional grounds, while the defendant, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R), argues the law is "valid" and enforceable.

Michigan should strengthen data breach laws, the state’s attorney general department said Wednesday. The office supported a package of five state Senate bills (SB-888 to SB-892), currently in the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, that would include a requirement that companies quickly notify the AG department about breaches. Most states already require such notification, but Michigan’s AG usually finds out about breaches through media reports, the department said. Michigan AG Dana Nessel (D) said, “Passing legislation to mandate these protections would affirm our commitment to defending consumers’ interests in the face of ever-increasing numbers of data breaches impacting their personal information.”

Windstream received New Jersey’s OK for its deal with Uniti Group, in which Windstream and Uniti will become subsidiaries of a new parent corporation (docket TM24060411). New Jersey Board of Public Utilities members voted 4-0 to grant the companies’ June 14 petition as part of a consent agenda at a livestreamed meeting Wednesday.

A Pennsylvania Senate panel voted unanimously to send an 811 measure to the floor Monday. The Consumer Protection Committee voted 14-0 to clear HB-2189 with an amendment. The House previously passed the bill, while the Senate approved its version (SB-1237). The bills would reauthorize Pennsylvania’s call-before-you-dig law (see 2410020005).

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission already “extensively litigated” issues raised in a Lumen petition disputing an order finding violations of state service-quality rules, the state’s attorney general's office said Monday in docket C-20-432. The AG office urged that the PUC reject the petition to reconsider ordering Lumen’s CenturyLink to quickly rehabilitate its network statewide (see 2409300012). CenturyLink failed to satisfy the standard for reconsideration and the commission order reflects the record and the law, said the office, adding that the company hasn't provided good service for years.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission plans to hold informal conferences about pole attachments on Friday, as well as Nov. 1, Nov. 22 and Dec. 3, said a PSC order Friday. All the meetings start at 10 a.m. and will be virtual and in-person.

NTIA hopes it will wrap up approvals of states' and territories’ initial plans for the broadband, equity access and deployment (BEAD) program by month’s end, Administrator Alan Davidson said Friday. At a virtual press conference, Davidson joined White House and California officials in announcing approval of volume two of California’s initial plan. The action greenlights California access to its $1.8 billion BEAD allocation, NTIA said. Just five states still need volume-two approval, an NTIA dashboard showed Friday. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Ohio and Texas. Timing of the remaining approvals depends “a little bit on the remaining states that are out there,” said Davidson. “We’re really … at the endpoint now and this is all very much still exactly on track and on time.” Davidson praised California for showing a commitment to investing in resiliency in its BEAD plan. Also, he said California has done well to weave together various federal and state funds in its effort to connect everyone. Meanwhile, National Economic Council Deputy Director Jon Donenberg praised the California plan’s emphasis on affordability. California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds said the BEAD funding is “vital” for bridging the digital divide. “We will maximize these funds,” said Reynolds. "Projects will be deployed in a timely fashion."

The Nebraska Public Service Commission awarded U.S. Cellular nearly $5.5 million to construct 10 cellular towers near 10 communities through a Nebraska Universal Service Fund wireless fund, the PSC said Friday. The company pledged to complete construction within 24 months, said the commission.