The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) gave Verizon a $150 million contract to help with digital government initiatives, said the telco in a news release Wednesday. Departments and agencies throughout state government, plus county and local governments, K-12 schools, public and private colleges and universities, and public safety organizations can buy services via the VITAnet contract, it said. Verizon said it will deliver a wide range of network-centric services under the VITAnet contract, including the company’s networking portfolio, plus managed services, unified communications and collaboration systems, Internet protocol-based voice services and customer-premises equipment.
The Minnesota FirstNet project team emphasized during its kick-off meeting the need for an aligned outreach strategy that includes all regions of the state, the network said in a Monday blog post. FirstNet representatives met with cabinet-level executives and the entire Minnesota FirstNet project team in a successful single point of contact engagement kick-off meeting Feb. 25, the post said: The meeting allowed the state and FirstNet to connect on recent progress, issues and activities. It also lets the group talk through the targeted outreach strategy for the state, identifying key stakeholders and associations to reach in the coming months to prepare for the delivery of the state plan and the state’s support of the governor’s decision, FirstNet said.
Maine delayed the text-to-911 compliance date for the 24 public safety answering points in the state from April 6 to July 6, said AT&T in an FCC filing in docket 10-255. AT&T said full compliance was delayed because of unanticipated regulatory challenges. The Maine Emergency Services Communications Bureau and AT&T agreed the company will continue to deliver text messages to 911 via the text-to-TTY method until the transition is fully complete, the filing said.
ILECs have a continuing obligation to provide DS1 and DS3 capacity loops on an unbundled basis, said the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in a filing with the FCC in docket 15-1. That obligation isn't changed or eliminated when an ILEC replaces copper with fiber or when the transmission is switched to IP, the PUC said. Failing to maintain an unbundling requirement for DS1 and DS3 capacity loops could undermine competition, the filing said.
Altice replies on its request to take over Cablevision are unsubstantiated, mathematically and operationally implausible and a fictional forecast of future performance, said an analysis of the comments (see 1603090081) that a consulting company opposed to the deal sent to the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) in case 15-M-0647 and the FCC in docket 15-257. "Altice's litany of nonsense submitted to the NYSPSC in these Reply Comments is accompanied by an arrogant and contemptuous silence about the substantial evidence ... that is derived from multiple independent sources," the analysis said. MFRConsulting said the deal shouldn't be approved, regardless of conditions, because Altice is likely to ignore any conditions. The telco is continuing to be "engaged" in the regulatory process, Altice said in an emailed statement Monday. It said the process is "well underway in all regions and proceeding as we anticipated."
FairPoint Communications installed new equipment in Washington state, bringing faster broadband to more than 40,000 residences and businesses, the company said in a news release. The upgrades will make available speeds of up to 50 Mbps down and up to 10 Mbps up, FairPoint said. Since 2012, FairPoint has invested more than $9 million in its Washington service territories, the telco said.
Atlantic Broadband and Univision Communications renewed their multiyear contract, said a news release from Atlantic Broadband. Atlantic has offered Univision programming to its Miami customers for 12 years, the release said. The agreement also includes rights for enhanced On Demand content and new TV Online capabilities that will let customers watch Univision programming on devices whenever and wherever they want, it said. The new capabilities are expected to roll out later in 2016.
The New York City Franchise and Concession Review Committee approved Charter Communications' buy of Time Warner Cable, said a resolution released Wednesday. The committee reviewed the deal and determined it complies with the terms and conditions of the franchise agreement, the resolution said. The committee also said the franchisee will have the technical, managerial and financial ability to comply with the provisions of the existing franchise agreement after the transaction is complete.
Nearly 32,000 residents are owed an estimated $2.7 million after they bought a product or service from Sprint but didn't receive the rebate that incentivized the sale, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs alleged in a lawsuit this week. Frerichs sued after Sprint and its clearinghouse partner, Young America of Minnesota, allegedly kept the rebate money, he said in a news release. The Treasurer’s Office can sue because rebates are considered unclaimed property if not paid within five years and must be surrendered to the state treasury and these purchases were made between 2003 and 2005, it said. “It is frustrating and wrong when these large companies with deep pockets and corporate attorneys break their promises, keep money that is not theirs, and dare people to file a lawsuit,” Frerichs said. A Sprint spokeswoman emailed: "This lawsuit is not about rebates that were withheld, but about rebate checks that were sent, but not cashed ... We do not believe the claims against Sprint have merit, and we will continue to seek a fair resolution in our settlement discussions with Illinois."
Having wireless emergency alert originators craft a single, 360-character message while legacy devices display only 90-character messages could cause public confusion and frustration, said the New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) Department in an ex parte letter filed Tuesday in docket 15-91. NYCEM opposes the option that legacy devices receive the first 90 characters along with an embedded URL that would link to a website with the entire WEA message. That option is problematic because anyone using a legacy device likely would not have access to the Internet on that phone, the filing said.