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House committee clears language changes to copper-to-fiber transition bill, defers vote pending quick edits
Summary
The House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee reviewed Draft 1.3 of committee bill 260726, removing mandatory battery-backup requirements in favor of disclosure and reporting duties for carriers and asking Legislative Council for quick clarifying edits before reconvening to vote.
Representative Kathleen James convened the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 11 to consider committee bill 260726, legislation aimed at guiding the transition from copper-based, line-powered telephone networks to fiber- and IP-based services and at strengthening customer disclosures and state reporting on service continuity and 9-1-1 access.
Legislative Council attorney Maria Royal told the committee the posted draft (Draft 1.3, dated Feb. 9, 11:11 a.m.) removes the earlier bill's explicit battery-backup mandate and instead focuses on disclosure and reporting requirements. "Carriers do not have to are not required to offer battery backup," she said, explaining the change was intended to avoid imposing a federal-style backup-power requirement while still gathering information to guide state policy.
The bill's stated purpose, Royal said, is to "balance telephone network modernization with customer safeguards" and to establish…
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