public policy

Limits on local authority over cell towers advance to the California senate

2 June 2015 by Steve Blum
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Cell towers and other wireless facilities are a matter of “statewide concern” and “not a municipal affair” according to California state assembly members. By a vote of 66 to 4, they approved assembly bill 57, authored by East Bay democrat Bill Quirk and sent it on to the state senate.

The core concept of the bill is that local governments shouldn’t be able to delay permits for building new towers or adding equipment to existing ones, beyond the limits set by the Federal Communications Commission.… More

Muni HFC broadband subsidy lands on Tacoma electric bills

1 June 2015 by Steve Blum
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The meter is running.

Tacoma’s municipal electric system customers are paying more than three bucks a month to keep the city’s ageing broadband system running, whether they buy service from it or not. The municipal hybrid fiber cable TV system, which also supports Internet service, is reckoned to be losing $9.5 million year, according to a story by Kate Martin in the Tacoma News Tribune…

[Tacoma Public Utilities] bosses have said that anything Click cannot pay will be borne by Tacoma Power customers, not all of whom can buy Click cable or Internet service.

… More

A closer look at FCC's boundaries for state broadband regulators

31 May 2015 by Steve Blum
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Out of bounds.

The FCC’s decision to bring broadband infrastructure and service under common carrier rules sets limits on both the ability of states to impose regulations under those rules, and on federal preemption of existing state authority.

As far as the latter is concerned, in paragraph 531 the decision specifically references the ability of states to choose to regulate pole attachment rules (section 224 of the common carrier law), manage universal service requirements and eligibility (section 214) – although not impose taxes (see paragraph 432 of the decision), manage the public right of way (section 253) and grandfather in rules (section 261).… More

Comcast discloses attempt at one-on-one back room negotiations in California

28 May 2015 by Steve Blum
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You call those suits?

As it said it wanted to do, Comcast did in fact try to bargain directly with the commissioner assigned to handle the California Public Utilities Commission’s review of its bid to take over Time Warner and Charter cable systems in California. In a disclosure filing that was made public last week, Comcast detailed how a posse of its suits met with commissioner Carla Peterman and two aides for an hour – twice the time originally expected – in March to detail its objections to the conditions the commission was considering if it approved the deal…

Comcast described how the conditions in the Proposed Decision could be improved by revising them to be within the parameters of Commission programs with preexisting rules or by establishing metrics that are clearer and easier to measure than what has been proposed.

… More

Frontier tells CPUC to stay away from broadband issues


Don’t go there.

Frontier Communications and Verizon are trying to make the same argument that Comcast made, and lost, when it tried to restrict the California Public Utilities Commission’s review of its proposed mega-merger to some very narrow, telephone-centric considerations.

In this case, Frontier wants to buy out Verizon’s wireline systems in California. The CPUC’s office of ratepayer advocates is urging the commission to decide if that’s in the public interest, in part, on whether it’s good or bad for the broadband market here.… More

FCC's unwritten privacy rules will have an equally ill-defined effect on Internet business

25 May 2015 by Steve Blum
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We can hope.

Your Internet service provider collects a lot of information about you and they use some of it for marketing purposes. AT&T is getting particularly aggressive about doing so, offering a discount on its GigaWeasel service to customers who agree to let it watch what they’re watching, and target ads accordingly..

Assuming that the Federal Communication Commission’s new, common carrier Internet regulations go into effect next month, the restrictions on what ISPs can do with their knowledge of you will get tighter.… More

The Internet might not be a freeport much longer

24 May 2015 by Steve Blum
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Internet access service is largely exempt from taxes in the U.S., thanks to a bill passed back in 1998, and given a last minute, one year extension last year. That extension will expire in October, unless federal lawmakers agree on either another extension – for however long – or a permanent bill.

On the one hand, it’s pretty simple: we’ve built a revolutionary and explosively valuable economy over the past 17 years without directly taxing the service that’s made it possible.… More

FCC issues Catch-222 advisory

23 May 2015 by Steve Blum
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I’m glad we had this chat.

In case you were still wondering, the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to bring Internet service and infrastructure under common carrier regulation was not simply about whether Comcast can block you from watching Netflix. As a statement from the FCC’s enforcement bureau emphasises, there are a lot of other rules involved, particularly those that deal with how Internet service providers use and/or safeguard information about you.

Except, no one, not even the FCC enforcement bureau, knows what those rules are.… More

Another day, another cable deal in California

21 May 2015 by Steve Blum
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Click for a list of communities in California and elsewhere, and a bigger map.

Altice, a European cable company with roots in France and headquarters in business-friendly Luxembourg, is buying 70% of Suddenlink for $9.1 billion. The announcement follows news that Charter is still intent on acquiring Bright House Networks.

Both Charter and Altice are considered possible candidates to buy Time-Warner, which would be a much bigger play than either Suddenlink or Bright House.… More