The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin.
TELECOM
FCC
At its June 18, 2015, Open Meeting, the FCC adopted a Declaratory Ruling and Order resolving 21 requests for FCC action about the application of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to various scenarios. The TCPA requires prior express consent for non-emergency autodialed, prerecorded, or artificial voice calls to wireless phone numbers, as well as for prerecorded telemarketing calls to residential wireline numbers. See TMI’s Blog “FCC Acts on Robocalls,” dated 6/22/15.
California
PUC scheduled Public Participation Hearings on the proposed Frontier/Verizon transfer of assets and certifications. Workshops will be held prior to each hearing. The workshops will review the technical condition of the network in the areas adjacent to the hearing locations in order to inform the parties and PUC about the operational status of the facilities to be migrated from Verizon to Frontier and what steps may be necessary to satisfy the consumer benefit and public interest tests for approval of such transfers. Workshops/hearings will be held on July 20, Rancho Mirage; July 21, Claremont; July 27, Santa Clara; August 10, Long Beach; and August 11, Santa Barbara.
Vermont
A new law in Vermont will transfer responsibility for the state’s Connectivity Initiative to the Department of Public Service effective July 1, 2015. The law establishes a new Division of Telecommunications and Connectivity within the Department and authorizes the Director of that Division to establish a staff of up to three full-time employees. The law also updates the speed goals associated with the Connectivity Initiative from at least 4 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload to at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. TMI Regulatory Bulletin Service subscribers see Bulletin dated 6/17/15.
ENERGY
Michigan
Consumers Energy Company proposes to issue a refund of $825,000, plus interest to those natural gas customers who paid provisional rates in excess of final rates approved by PSC implemented from January 2, 2015 through January 13, 2015. A public hearing to consider the proposal will be held on July 16, 2015.
