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.
Marion County, Florida, picked Airbus DS Communications to build the its next-generation 911 system, said a news release from Airbus. The system will serve the county’s 350,000 residents and handle more than 700,000 calls per day. Instead of operating two separate public safety answering points, Airbus said its Vesta 911 system will consolidate the county’s call centers to operate as one entity.
The AFL-CIO, Communications Workers of America and National Women's Law Center delivered 15,000 petition signatures to the German Embassy Tuesday, asking the country's government to press T-Mobile to abandon a company policy that silences workers who speak out against sexual harassment, a CWA news release said. The German state owns about 32 percent of Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's German parent. In August, the National Labor Relations Board found T-Mobile guilty of violating the rights of a T-Mobile employee who no longer works there. Since T-Mobile had to withdraw employee gag order policies only at its call centers in Maine and South Carolina, the release said, the rest of T-Mobile's 46,000 employees don't know these nondisclosure agreements violate U.S. labor law. "No one should have to decide between keeping their job and staying safe," AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler said. "But that unfortunate choice is put to working women under T-Mobile's current practice of silencing workers who come forward with sexual harassment claims. Today we are calling on the German government as a major stakeholder to hold T-Mobile accountable and demand they protect workers' rights and women's equality." T-Mobile didn't comment.
Residents of Doe Bay on Orcas Island in Washington state banded together to create their own wireless Internet network that gets service to a section of the island not served by an incumbent, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) said. The Doe Bay Internet Users Association gets its signal from StarTouch Broadband Services via microwave from Mount Vernon on the mainland. Via a series of radios mounted on the community's water tower, houses and tall trees, the network serves about 50 homes with speeds of 30 Mbps download and 40 Mbps upload, ILSR said.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission ruled that Frontier Communications must lease part of its broadband service to rival Citynet, said a PSC order last week in case No. 14-1295-T-C. The commission upheld most of an administrative law judge’s decision requiring Frontier to lease unused fiber to Citynet in several rural communities (see 1410070052). Citynet filed a complaint with the PSC in August 2014, accusing Frontier of trying to shut out competition for high-speed Internet connectivity by not honoring an agreement. Citynet didn't comment Monday. The PSC's order gives Frontier a framework for business moving forward, said a company spokesman Monday. He said there are some cases where Frontier has leased dark fiber to other providers, depending on need and provided there's an existing agreement to do so. "We provide broadband and voice services to all providers, including Citynet, in nearly every area of the state," the spokesman said. "In other instances, including the earlier ruling on a Charleston route that the Commission left undisturbed, Citynet will be expected to make its own investments in fiber optic facilities, just as other providers across the state do for their networks.”
The Alaska Plan is a forward-looking way to improve broadband deployment in the state and should be adopted, said General Communications in an ex parte letter posted Friday in FCC docket 14-58. The plan (see 1511240049) proposes a way to stretch existing universal service support further and retarget support to areas that most need it, while recognizing that Alaska's geographic and infrastructure challenges require a universal service plan to be tailored to the state, it said.
Verizon told the FCC it agreed to an alternate time frame to begin delivering 911 text messages to six public safety answering points in Hawaii, including the Big Island, Honolulu, Kuai and Maui. The FCC’s PSAP registry had designated these PSAPs as ready for text-to-911 service as of May 27, Verizon said in a filing posted Friday to docket 10-255. The carrier said it worked out an agreement with the Hawaii E-911 Board to instead start delivering emergency texts this month on a phased-in basis.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) announced a $160 million settlement with Frontier Communications to resolve complaints involving Internet speeds provided to consumers, in a Thursday news release. The settlement requires Frontier to invest at least $150 million in capital expenditures to increase Internet speeds across West Virginia and provide access to areas without high-speed service. It also lowers monthly rates for affected consumers and contributes $500,000 to the state’s Consumer Protection Fund. The agreement is the largest independently negotiated consumer protection settlement in West Virginia history, said the release. Morrisey said: “The settlement helps consumers receive the high-speed service they expected, while directing significant monies to help fix connectivity issues that consistently keep our state from achieving economic success.” Between 2013 and 2015, the AG's office received multiple complaints from customers paying for Frontier’s high-speed service, which advertised Internet speeds up to 6 Mbps, said the release. But many consumers said their Frontier service was slow or didn't meet expectations, the AG's office said. The office investigated and found a lot of customers expecting Internet speeds “up to 6 Mbps” actually had speeds of 1.5 Mbps or less. Frontier denied any wrongdoing and signed the settlement to resolve disputed claims without litigation. "We have made a binding legal commitment to continue our strong investment in West Virginia and we have effectively created an additional price tier for certain Frontier Internet Max customers," said Area President Mike Flynn.
About a month after 43 Colorado municipalities voted to opt out of the state's broadband law (see 1511040055), the state Office of Information Technology (OIT) launched a portal to give residents and industry a place to find broadband news. A map lets users enter their address and see the options for ISPs in their area and the site allows them to do speed tests. Brian Shepherd, OIT broadband program manager, said the portal is a "one-stop shop" for those in the state who are involved with expanding broadband to more people. “One of OIT’s key goals for our broadband strategy is to coordinate amongst the local and regional jurisdictions within the state, so the website provides a chance for those folks to really see what each other [are] doing, provide a chance to find contacts around the state, and really hopefully focus on collaboration and getting people together,” Shepherd says in a welcome video.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (R)wants a ruling, or to know whether the FCC plans to rule, on TracFone's pending emergency petition for declaratory ruling about 911 fees, said a filing in docket 11-42 sent Monday. The request comes from two cases in federal district court where eligible telecom carriers are alleging that Indiana's statewide 911 fee is pre-empted by the Telecom Act as applied to transactions with Lifeline customers, the filing said. TracFone's petition seeks a declaration that states can't impose charges on Lifeline customers or providers.