The Maine Public Utilities Commission directed Central Maine Power (CMP) to “collaborate with stakeholders on the implementation of its pole attachment database” and give periodic status reports to the PUC. The PUC closed docket 2021-00321 in a Wednesday order. The Maine PUC was reviewing Alden One, a joint use software system developed by electric pole owners CMP and Versant that would provide a centralized database for pole attachments (see 2209260050).
Michigan received 154 applications totaling about $2.3 billion in project costs and requesting about $1.3 billion in grants under the state’s Realizing Opportunities with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) program, said the Michigan High-Speed Internet (MIHI) Office in an update Wednesday. The application window closed Tuesday. Applications proposed connecting nearly 380,000 homes, MIHI said. “The team is working diligently to cure each application for completeness and begin the review and scoring process. … Considering the number of applications, the staggering grant funds requested and the detail to which our staff and the ROBIN Steering Committee review each application, this process could take some time.”
The Dallas City Council approved an agreement for the Dallas Innovation Alliance to administer its digital navigators program as a subrecipient of American Rescue Plan Act funding. The program will focus on affordability, access, devices and digital skills, said a Wednesday news release. “Getting all Dallas residents fully engaged in the opportunities that today’s digital world provides is complex and requires each of us to play a part across infrastructure, access, skills and on-the-ground engagement,” said Dallas Innovation Alliance co-founder-Executive Director Jennifer Sanders.
The New Mexico legislature passed a bill to clarify that illegal cramming includes only unauthorized charges for non-telecom services. The House voted 58-0 Tuesday for SB-83. The Senate passed the bill earlier by a 26-11 vote. Also Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced to the floor the House-passed HB-160 to allow the state transportation commission to waive right-of-way fees for installing infrastructure in unserved or underserved areas. The committee also cleared for floor vote the Senate-passed SB-41 to require ILECs with at least 50,000 customers to be regulated the same as rural ILECs under New Mexico’s Rural Telecommunications Act.
The Arkansas legislature passed a bill to clarify that streaming and satellite video services don't have to pay franchise fees. The Senate voted 35-0 Tuesday for HB-1338 after the House voted 95-1 earlier this month (see 2303070078). The bill needs a signature from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R).
The Hawaii Senate Energy Committee voted 4-0 Tuesday for HB-1408 to establish a digital equity program and HB-963 to appropriate at least $33 million in state matching funds for the federal broadband, equity, access and deployment program in FY 2023-24. HB-963 also would appropriate at least $95 million received from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for BEAD. The same day in Maryland, the House Ways and Means Committee sent a broadband tax incentives bill (HB-551) to the floor.
Arizona Senate majority and minority caucuses supported an anti-robocalls bill on the unanimous consent agenda Tuesday. The House unanimously passed HB-2498 last month, which is meant to fight automated calls and texts (see 2303090030).
Public safety bills advanced in state legislative committees Monday. The California Assembly Emergency Management Committee voted 7-0 for AB-415, which would task the state’s Office of Emergency Services with setting up a grant program by Jan. 1, 2025, to give fairgrounds the broadband infrastructure needed for emergency operations. AB-415 next needs approval from the Communications Committee. Meanwhile in Indiana, the House Public Safety Committee cleared the Senate-passed SB-316 to ask the statewide 911 board to study interoperability of computer-aided dispatch systems used by public safety answering points. In Oregon, the House Behavioral Health Committee cleared HB-2757 to require a 50-cent surcharge on telecom bills to fund the 988 mental health hotline. CTIA raised concerns with the bill in a Feb. 10 letter. “If the state cannot find the funds to support 988 through general revenue and federal funding, HB 2757 should be amended to ensure that any new tax on telecommunications consumers is limited,” it said. “Any 988 tax should be kept as low as possible and justified by data showing exactly what the tax will fund.”
A West Virginia distracted-driving bill passed the legislature Saturday. The House voted 89-8 to concur with Senate changes to HB-2218. The Senate passed it Thursday in a 25-7 vote. The bill expands the state’s existing prohibitions while carving out smartwatches (see 2302100058).
Washington state started writing plans for digital equity and broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) grants, the Washington Commerce Department said Monday. The BEAD plan will guide how the state uses $900 million in estimated federal support, the department said. The state signed a contract with Guidehouse Consulting to develop both plans, it said. Guidehouse and the state broadband office plan to host several public events around the state to assess connectivity needs and adoption barriers, with a virtual kickoff meeting set for March 29 at 2 p.m. PDT, the department said.