Today’s Regulatory Mix: New Jersey Established Community Broadband Study Commission, Utah Extends USF Reply Comment Deadline

New Jersey Established Community Broadband Study Commission 

With the passage of Assembly Bill 850, New Jersey establishes the Community Broadband Study Commission (the Commission). The Commission, comprised of eleven members, is responsible for evaluating the feasibility of establishing community broadband networks in this State, including: 

  • considering whether leasing or purchasing established broadband infrastructure, such as unused fiber optic cable, is more advantageous in creating a faster network; 
  •  considering whether establishing a community broadband municipal or county agency or a non-profit corporation is more appropriate to administer the community broadband network; 
  • evaluating the different methods, including legislation and contracts with private companies, that other municipalities or counties in this country have used to implement community broadband networks; 
  • determining the most cost effective method in which to establish community broadband networks, with a cost estimate for the local government and a rate estimate for paying customers; and 
  • exploring all possible federal, State, and private funding sources for the establishment of community broadband networks in this State. 

Utah Extends USF Reply Comment Deadline 

On August 19, 2021, the Division of Public Utilities (DPU) filed a Motion for Extension of Time to File Reply Comments (Motion) in Docket No. 21-R008-04 concerning Request for Rulemaking Regarding Utah Universal Service Fund. The DPU seeks an extension to the deadline to file reply comments in this docket from August 20, 2021, to September 2, 2021. With support from the Office of Consumer Services (OCS) and the Utah Rural Telecom Association (URTA), the Motion was granted. Reply comments may be submitted no later than Thursday, September 2, 202 

____________________________

The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related 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 an Inteserra Briefing.