New York state will nearly double the maximum fine for telemarketers who contact people on the do not call list. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) Wednesday signed a bill (A-4456/S-4617) to increase the penalty to up to $20,000 from $11,000. New York set the previous penalty in 2004. The state aims to “send a clear message that New York won’t tolerate these frustrating, unsolicited calls,” Hochul said. Assembly sponsor Alex Bores (D) said, "This law is a victory for every New Yorker who would like to be able to pick up their phone in peace.”
Broadband mapping and electronics right-to-repair bills are nearing the finish line at the California Legislature. The Senate voted 39-0 Tuesday to send the bill on adjusting state mapping requirements (AB-286) back to the Assembly for concurrence with senators’ amendments. The Senate voted 31-5 for AB-1194, which would say businesses aren’t required to comply with government requests for emergency access to personal information on abortion and contraception. It also needs Assembly concurrence. In the Assembly, members voted 65-1 for the electronics repair bill (SB-244). The Senate must concur with amendments. The session ends Thursday.
ISPs may compete for $374 million from the American Rescue Plan Act state and local fiscal recovery funds to expand Oklahoma high-speed internet, the state’s broadband office said Wednesday. The office released a notice of funding opportunity and will accept proposals from Monday until Oct. 9. It said to expect final approvals to be unveiled in January.
States and territories should connect anchor institutions to gigabit broadband and include them in planning for broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) funding, the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition said. Also in a Wednesday memo to state and territory leaders, the coalition urged broadband leaders to broaden their definitions of community anchor institution to include nontraditional entities like prisons and ranger state. “By including anchor institutions, fostering transparency, resolving pole attachment disputes, and considering innovative solutions such as open access, we can bridge the connectivity gap and pave the way for a more equitable and connected future for all,” SHLB Coalition Executive Director John Windhausen said in a news release. Kansas Broadband Development Director Jade Piros de Carvalho said anchor institutions will be important partners in closing her state’s digital divide.
Illinois and Wisconsin will test cross-border interoperable communications Wednesday, the states’ emergency divisions said Tuesday. “This exercise is a great opportunity for local and state agencies to demonstrate and validate their ability to talk to their counterparts across state lines,” said Wisconsin Office of Emergency Communications Director Erik Viel. “People depend on responders to take care of them on a bad day and expect them to be able to communicate in a crisis, regardless of state affiliation.” The U.S. Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) will evaluate participating agencies in the exercise, the states said.
Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) signed a sweeping privacy law (HB-154), his spokesperson said Tuesday. The bill takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. While it could be stronger, Delaware’s privacy law is better for consumers than some other states’ recent laws, said Consumer Reports. The group praised the bill for requiring companies to honor global opt-out requests from browsers; expanding children’s privacy protection to children under 18, up from 16; and broadly defining sensitive and biometric information. About a dozen states now have comprehensive privacy laws.
The California legislature passed bills on broadband permitting, video franchising and social media Monday. On concurring with Senate amendments, Assembly members voted 80-0 for AB-965 and 73-1 for AB-41. On concurring with Assembly amendments, senators voted 39-0 for SB-60. AB-965 would allow simultaneous processing of multiple broadband permit applications for similar project sites under a single permit and require local governments to decide applications within a reasonable time (see 2306200053). AB-41 aims to tighten digital equity requirements in the state’s video franchise law but was opposed by a public interest group (see 2309080031). SB-60 would require social media platforms to remove posts on illegal drug sales. The bills still need signatures from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Also Monday, the Senate punted on AB-1282 by sending the measure to the legislature’s inactive file. The bill would require a study on mental health risks of social media for children.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission will investigate why required redundancy failed in Lumen and Windstream’s back-to-back 911 outages (see 2309050015), the PSC said Tuesday. The commission voted 5-0 to launch the probes. “The disruptions in 911 service that occurred in these two separate incidents is unacceptable,” said Nebraska PSC Chair Dan Watermeier. “The Commission expects 911 service providers to maintain diverse and redundant connections between 911 centers and their networks.” The PSC will ask in docket 911-075 why the Lumen fiber cuts led to a statewide outage, said one order Tuesday. In the Windstream probe, the agency will look into why a fire and power loss at one facility resulted in 911 disruptions over a large part of southeast Nebraska, said a separate order in docket 911-076. Windstream stands "ready to engage constructively" with the Nebraska PSC, a spokesperson said. Lumen didn't comment by our deadline.
Washington awarded $14.5 million in digital navigator grants, the state broadband office said Monday. Digital navigator “programs open equal opportunities for people to thrive, especially community members who may be struggling to reach their full potential,” said Washington Commerce Department Director Mike Fong. The state granted about $10.2 million to the Equity in Education Coalition, about $3.8 million to Community Health Network of Washington and nearly $431,000 to the Nisqually Indian Tribe. Commerce received 26 applications requesting more than $115 million, it said.
The California Public Utilities Commission missed the deadline to appeal a U.S. District Court for Northern California opinion on a USF surcharges dispute with T-Mobile’s MetroPCS, the carrier said Monday. For that and other reasons, the CPUC should reject the CPUC Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division’s objections (see 2309010014) to MetroPCS’ motion to dismiss the investigation in docket I.22-04-005, the carrier said. “MetroPCS clearly cannot be penalized for declining to comply with Resolutions that have been declared unlawful and unenforceable.”