The Hawaii House voted almost unanimously to approve a bill (HB-2359) establishing a digital equity grant program (see 2402050024). Only Rep. Elijah Pierick (R) voted no on Friday. The House sent the bill to the Senate.
The Washington state House voted 96-0 last week to pass an amended bill (SB-6308) to extend timelines for implementing the 988 mental health hotline. That would include providing the state health department until Jan. 1, 2026, to develop the technology platform, which is currently due July 1 this year. Also on Thursday, the House voted 68-28 to approve SB-5838, establishing an AI task force. The Senate passed both bills on Feb. 8 (see 2402090055) but now must concur with House changes.
The Michigan Public Service Commission renewed rules Friday for telecom providers that cease providing basic local exchange services (BLES). Its three commissioners supported the PSC order (docket U-21368), which makes minor changes and adds rules on what information BLES providers must include in discontinuance notices. Without the order, the rules would have expired March 21 (see 2307070049).
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed a proposed social media ban for kids younger than 16 on Friday. DeSantis earlier raised concerns about HB-1 lacking an option for parents to give their children consent to have social media accounts (see 2402220051). But legislators declined to provide a parental option to override the proposed state ban. He vetoed the measure because lawmakers are "about to produce a different, superior bill," the governor wrote to House Speaker Paul Renner (R). "Protecting children from harms associated with social media is important, as is supporting parents' rights and maintaining the ability of adults to engage in anonymous speech. I anticipate the new bill will recognize these priorities and will be signed into law soon." Renner, who had made the bill a priority, and HB-1 sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland (R) didn’t comment by our deadline. Meanwhile, the Florida House voted 109-0 Friday for HB-1541, which would require social media platforms that foreign adversaries own to disclose how they curate, personalize and target content and how they treat misinformation and harmful content. The House sent the bill to the Senate, which has a similar measure (SB-1448).
The Indiana Senate unanimously supported a bill that would require the state broadband office to be inclusive when awarding grants under NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment program. Senators voted 47-0 Thursday for HB-1277 to create an Indiana Code chapter governing BEAD administration. The office may not exclude cooperatives, nonprofits, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utilities, public utility districts or local governments, the bill said. The House on Jan. 23 voted 94-0 to pass the bill but now must concur with Senate tweaks. Meanwhile, the Indiana House on Thursday voted 92-0 for a state 911 bill (SB-232) and returned it to the Senate with amendments on Friday. The Senate previously voted 49-0 on Jan. 29 for the bill (see 2401310070, which would require originating service providers to connect to state 911 using an industry standard or functional equivalent, update certain 911 terminology, increase penalties for giving false information, and exempt information about 911 system security from public disclosure.
A bill requiring content filters when minors use tablets and smartphones passed the Utah legislature Wednesday. The Senate concurred with the House, which approved an amended version of SB-104 on Tuesday (see 2402280046). The bill needs approval from Gov. Spencer Cox (R). Meanwhile, Thursday the Missouri House passed and sent the Senate a bill (HB-2057) clarifying that streaming content is exempted from paying video franchise fees. Municipalities earlier raised concerns about the proposal (see 2402270055)
The California Public Utilities Commission sought comment by March 8 on a revised proposed decision to establish a permanent California LifeLine foster youth program. Replies are due March 13, Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Wang said in an email ruling Thursday. The CPUC postponed voting on the item at its Feb. 15 meeting (see 2402150067). Among other changes, the revised proposal clarifies that non-minors in extended foster care could participate in the program until they turn 21. Responding to concerns that no service provider may participate in the program after the current pilot expires, the CPUC said it would encourage but not require providers to offer free devices and chargers. “We will also remove requirements for service providers to configure devices,” it said. It also won’t require providers to provide special plans in certain circumstances.
The Kansas House Telecom Committee considered if counties should be covered by broadband infrastructure rules like those that apply to cities. The panel heard support for HB-2806 from ISPs at a livestreamed meeting Thursday. HB-2806 would allow telecom, broadband and video service providers to "construct, maintain and operate poles, conduit, cable, switches” and other facilities in counties’ rights of way (ROW). It would require counties to apply ROW access and permit processes “in a nondiscriminatory and competitively neutral manner to all similarly situated providers." That would include fees, required documents for permit applications, permitting time frames and waiver options, the bill said. "No county shall create, enact or erect any discriminatory, unreasonable condition, requirement or barrier for entry into or use of the public right-of-way by a provider." Counties could assess fees for construction permits, excavation and inspection only for reimbursing "the county's reasonable, actual and verifiable costs of managing the public right-of-way,” it said. The bill would also let counties assess repair costs for provider-caused ROW damage and require providers to furnish performance bonds. "We all want to be treated the same [and] fairly,” said Cox Director-Government Affairs Megan Bottenberg. But some Kansas communities have offered benefits to some providers and not others, she said. The “equity-based bill” stops excessive county taxes on broadband while giving explicit authority to collect repair costs for damages and require bonds, said IdeaTek co-founder Daniel Friesen. A rural county once tried to charge his company an excessive $20,000 in permit fees, he said. Requiring counties to explain how their fees are based on cost could reduce litigation, he said. AT&T Kansas State Director Darin Miller supported the bill in written testimony. Kansas Association of Counties General Counsel Jay Hall wrote that the bill's rules for counties would differ slightly from those for cities. "This is particularly important given that HB 2806 would take this issue out of local hands and make it a statewide standard,” Hall said. “If the standard is statewide, should the requirements for cities and counties match?"
The South Dakota Senate voted 30-4 Wednesday in favor of an amended 911 bill that increases South Dakota’s emergency service fee on monthly phone bills to $2, from $1.25. HB-1092 failed to pass in an earlier Senate vote (see 2402150042). The House previously passed the bill but must vote again to agree with Senate changes related to 911 oversight.
Arizona Corporation Commission staff warned Tuesday that the Arizona Universal Service Fund (AUSF) could exhaust its money unless the commission increases contribution rates. Commissioners could vote March 12 on a staff-proposed order to raise fees. AUSF administrator Solix told commission staff “that although there were enough funds collected to fund the AUSF for January, February and March 2024, Solix has calculated that it's anticipated, by the end of April, the AUSF fund balance would be depleted and that the fund will not be able to pay the Commission-approved and contractual obligations to [Frontier Communications] and Solix, respectively, beginning in May 2024,” said a Tuesday (docket RT-00000H-97-0137). For basic local exchange and wireless service providers that interconnect with the public switched network, staff recommended increasing the monthly surcharge to 3.4 cents per access line, up from 2 cents, and to 34 cents per interconnecting trunk line, up from 20 cents. For intrastate toll service providers, Arizona commission staff recommended increasing the monthly surcharge to 45% of revenue, up from 34.1%. The new rates would start April 1 and would result in a $200,000 fund balance by year-end, a “reasonable level” that would “potentially eliminate the need to revise the AUSF surcharge rates again for 2024,” staff said. Arizona commissioners declined raising AUSF contribution rates in December (see 2312050032). Frontier is the only company receiving AUSF high-cost support.