PublicUtilitiesCommission
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California demands Verizon, AT&T pay for own network investigations
The California Public Utilities Commission has decided to launch an investigation into both Verizon and AT&T, claiming both networks failed to consistently provide quality service to their customers. What's more, the CAPUC is insisting that the carriers pay for the investigation themselves. The investigations were first proposed back in the winter of 2010 after storms repeatedly knocked out services to customers. In 2011, the commission found that neither network was restoring services after outages within prescribed (and standardized) time limits. By 2013, the PUC had decided a "study of carrier network infrastructure, facilities, policies, and practices" was necessary and culminated at the end of last month after the PUC rejected Verizon and AT&T's complaints of financial responsibility.
Los Angeles puts ridesharing companies on notice, demands local permits
Someone didn't get the memo, apparently. Despite California's Public Utilities Commission giving ridesharing services the all clear on a statewide level, Los Angeles' Department of Transportation has sent cease-and-desist warnings to Lyft, Sidecar and Uber, claiming that all three are breaking local laws by operating without city permits. Drivers could face arrests and lose their cars if they keep serving customers, according to the notices. Not surprisingly, the ridesharing firms have a very different opinion. Uber tells Engadget that it's operating a limousine-like service which only needs PUC permission to operate, and Lyft says it's talking with the Mayor's office to resolve what it believes is a "state issue." For now, we're at an impasse -- let's just hope that Los Angeles follows in New York's footsteps and tries to reach a happy medium.
California stops automatic phone book delivery following pressure from Verizon
We've long known paper books are on the decline, but now we're seeing the first death knell for the fattest of them all. California's public utilities commission has ruled that it will no longer deliver doorstops residential phone books unless folks specifically ask for it -- a move that's expected to prevent 1,870 tons of material from entering the state's waste stream. Californians, like everyone else, can search the White Pages online, but they'll still be able to request a paper copy or CD-ROM if they're feeling old-fashioned. For now, though, the state will continue to ship government White Pages and the Yellow Pages for local business listings (in a post-Yelp world, that seems antiquated). What's especially fascinating about all this is that the pressure to cease automatic phone book deliveries came from none other than Verizon, which mounted a case back in October, citing the enormous human and natural resources required to get updated phone books into people's hands each year. Of course, the estimated 1,870 tons of averted waste is a fraction of the 660,000 tons BanthePhoneBook.org says these tomes create every year, but here's hoping it'll be enough to make other states take note.
