On behalf of AHC, David Cook joined with many rural telcos in “A Call to Action” to demand that broadband policymakers improve USF funding by expanding the services that contribute to the USF. The USF is an important mechanism for …
Utility Cooperative
Telephone Cooperative Directors: Legal Risks and Privacy Concerns
AHC attorney, David Cook, recently spoke to a group of directors of telephone cooperatives about legal risks and privacy concerns. The telephone and telecommunication utilities hailed from several states to North Carolina for the conference. The presentation covered topics …
Telephone and Electric Coops Qualify for PPP Round 2
Effective January 12, 2021, the Small Business Administration and the Department of the Treasury issued an Interim Final Rule concerning the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). The rule applies to the second round of PPP loans under the Economic Aid to …
Georgia Update: Automatic Renewals in Consumer Service Contracts
Georgia HB 1039 amends O.C.G.A. § 13-12-3 to provide additional protections for consumers who enter into service contracts containing lengthy automatic renewal provisions.
Pre-Existing Requirement: For service contracts with an initial term of twelve months or longer and an automatic …
Cooperatives May Qualify for Benefits Under CARES Act
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT). The CARES Act provided an economic stimulus package of $349 billion dollars for Paycheck Protection Loans and modified the existing provisions …
Utility, telephone, and internet cooperatives are giving consumers a break during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many businesses are giving consumers a break, including many electric and telephone cooperatives.
Utility cooperatives are offering free services or waiving fees and pledging not to disconnect as COVID-19 disrupts life for students, workers, families, businesses and communities. For more …
Coronavirus and Contract Obligations
By AHC Attorney Merry Luong
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global disruption to businesses, causing many to temporarily close and lay off employees. As businesses assess the short– and long–term economic impact of COVID-19, …
FCC Probe Finds Mobile Carriers Didn’t Safeguard Customer Location Data.
The FCC is seeking more than $200 Million in fines from “one or more” cellphone carriers, among them AT&T and T-Mobile. Officials found the companies apparently violated federal law by failing to safeguard information about customers’ real-time locations.
The following …
IRS Rules on Telecom Coop Sale of Stock
A recent IRS private letter ruling addresses whether a cooperative’s gain on sale of stock resulted in patronage or non-patronage income. This particular ruling follows many others that focus on the reason for acquiring the asset.
In Year 1, CORP
McKenzie Electric, Basin Electric at Odds Over Rates
McKenzie Electric Cooperative recently filed a lawsuit seeking damages from its supplier Upper Missouri G&T Electric Cooperative and electricity generator Basin Electric Cooperative. McKenzie Electric is claiming that rate increases since 2016 violate state law and breaches contractual agreements…