FirstNet representatives met with more than 65 Guam public safety stakeholders as a part of FirstNet's ongoing consultation effort (see 1512220058), and discussed how the island's existing network infrastructure could be augmented with a dedicated nationwide public safety broadband network, FirstNet Director-Consultation Dave Buchanan said in a blog post Monday. During the consultation meeting, Guam public safety officials told of their current departmental communications systems and where there might be room for improvements, Buchanan said. Among the updates to public safety communications systems sought by officials on the island are a switch from a 20-year-old Guam Police Department radio system to an IP-based system, a transition by the GPD to a "mobile computer-aided dispatch system," and a resolution of connectivity issues encountered by the Guam Fire Department, the blog post said. Guam is also interested in using the streaming video capability of its DisasterLAN system -- unused because it's cost- and resource-prohibitive -- which is "something FirstNet could help [it] do," Buchanan said.
More than half of Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) recipients the Commerce Department Office of the Inspector General reviewed in a recent audit had excess equipment, totaling $3.5 million, including equipment outside the needs of completing grant projects, said a recent memo to NTIA. NTIA’s processes for identifying and disposing of BTOP-funded excess inventory were inadequate for effective management of these awards, the memo said. The audit also found about $600,000 worth of equipment that may have been improperly disposed. The IG also noted that expired projects weren't closed out in a timely manner. In response to the problems the audit discovered, additional controls have been implemented, including an additional review of a cross section of recipients for “last minute” purchases as part of their award closeout process; updating supplementary guidance for recipients; requiring all recipients to develop a deployment plan for undeployed equipment; and conducting offsite training for its program officers.
The Alaska Plan will give the state a stable telecom investment environment, General Communications (GCI) said in a Tuesday filing in FCC docket No. 10-90. The plan would allow the state to have enforceable deployment commitments and improved targeting of support to unserved and underserved areas, the filing said. The Alaska Plan would leverage the same middle-mile infrastructure to connect remote locations to urban centers and the lower 48 states, the filing said. Alaska Communications also filed an ex parte notice in the same docket, urging the FCC to take action on the pending Connect America Fund Phase II proposal it submitted. The FCC should also allocate support for continuing voice service in extremely high-cost census blocks in Alaska, and look at further universal service overhaul in the state, Alaska Communications said.
The FCC should extend the Feb. 9 deadline for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) to implement a new historical map to 90 days after the digital mapping information is made available, said Cox Communications Monday in a filing in docket No. 11-42. Granting the OCC's request (see 1511190020) will ensure that Lifeline providers in the state can implement the rule change correctly, Cox said.
Eliminating the state role in eligible telecommunications carrier designation processes would remove important protections that help prevent fraud and abuse, said an ex parte letter from the state members of the FCC's Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services filed Tuesday. The state members' December survey found that of 42 responding states, 21 have some sort of verification program in operation, the filing said. The FCC's announcement that it's creating its own databases for verification is likely an incentive for some states to defer action on plans to create similar programs, the filing said. Because of that linkage, eliminating the state role in verifying ETC designations is poor policy, the state members of the joint conference said.
FirstNet representatives attended a governance body meeting facilitated by Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Dec. 4, the network said in a Monday blog post. Meeting attendees included state public safety and communications experts, it said. The department staffers showed they understand FirstNet through an update of the state's network FloridaNet, the post said. During the FloridaNet update, network members discussed the state’s response to FirstNet’s draft request for proposal, FloridaNet’s updated coverage objectives map, and a combined FloridaNet/FirstNet road map, among other items, it said.
Home broadband adoption has plateaued, the number of smartphone-only households has increased and 15 percent of adults have become cord cutters, new Pew Research Center surveys released Monday said. The percentage of consumers in the country adopting broadband is at 67 percent, down from 70 percent in 2013, one of the surveys said. While 68 percent of Americans said they have a smartphone, 13 percent said they use their smartphone for their Internet access instead of buying a broadband connection, it said. That figure is up from 8 percent in 2013. Those who have only a smartphone run into challenges such as more frequently having to cancel or suspend service due to financial constraints, running into data-cap limits and not being able to fill out job applications, a report about the findings said.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is warning consumers about a telephone scam involving unpaid energy bills, the commission said in a news release. Residents and businesses in parts of Pennsylvania were targeted by callers who claimed to be from their electric company and alleged the targets had an unpaid bill, the release said. The caller requested immediate payment over the phone to avoid termination of electric service, it said. “Your utility will never call about a payment on the day of a scheduled termination,” PUC Chairman Gladys Brown said.
Arizona Corporation Commission Chairwoman Susan Bitter Smith resigned after filing a response to Attorney General Mark Brnovich's (R) petition to remove her from the ACC position for conflict of interest (see 1512010060). The ACC has "important work" ahead of it, which is why Bitter Smith said she is concerned the AG's petition will create distractions from the commission's duties, the chairwoman said during a news conference announcing her resignation Thursday. Bitter Smith's resignation is effective Jan. 4. The AG alleged in the petition to the state Supreme Court that Bitter Smith is a registered lobbyist and executive for Southwest Cable Communications Association, an association of cable companies regulated by the ACC, so she's ineligible to hold office.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles released draft regulations on equipment requirements, performance standards, safety certifications and other issues for the operation of autonomous vehicles. "These regulations create a framework that allows manufacturers to transition from testing to deployment, promotes the continued development of autonomous vehicle technology, and ensures that autonomous vehicle technology is deployed in a safe and responsible manner on California public roads," said a DMV summary. The draft includes a provision that requires manufacturers to notify operators about data "collected by the autonomous technology that is not necessary for the safe operation of the vehicle." The provision said manufacturers must get written approval from the operator to allow for that collection. The state agency plans two workshops -- Jan. 28 in Sacramento and Feb. 2 in Los Angeles -- to get feedback.