Industry and consumer groups tried to explain VoIP and its permutations to FCC Administrative Law Judge Camille Watts-Zagha in comments filed Thursday at the California Public Utilities in R.22-08-008. The ALJ asked to find a “common vocabulary” in the rulemaking about possible changes to licensing requirements and other obligations for internet-based voice (see 2302160047). The CPUC received various takes on VoIP from parties including AT&T, California Broadband & Video Association, Cloud Communications Alliance, Comcast, Consolidated Communications, Charter Communications, Cox, Frontier Communications, Sangoma, the Voice on the Net Coalition, a group of small RLECs and two consumer advocates.

Colorado would remove a state ban on municipal broadband under a bill introduced Thursday. The 2015 state restriction known as SB-152 allows counties and municipalities to opt out of the ban through ballot initiative. Although many have done just that (see 2211100049), Colorado Broadband Office Executive Director told the NATOA conference last year that legislators would in 2023 seek to end the ban (see 2208300036). Under this year’s SB-183, sponsored by a bipartisan group of state senators and representatives, local governments no longer would need to “hold an election before providing or before operating a facility to provide cable television, telecommunications, or broadband internet services to subscribers,” or to enter a public-private partnership for that purpose, a summary said. Also, SB-183 would specify that a locality may provide middle-mile infrastructure.

Maryland lawmakers passed robocall and inmate call bills Friday. The House voted 134-0 for HB-37, which is modeled on Florida and Oklahoma telemarketing laws that go beyond the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (see 2303090030). The Senate voted 35-11 for SB-257, which would direct a task force to consider making no-charge phone calls for state prisoners. Each bill will next go to the opposite chamber.

The Missouri House voted 150-1 Thursday to pass a bill to set up a broadband development council with 21 members, including representatives from state agencies, the legislature and the general public. HB-461 will go to the Senate. Also, the House Rules Committee voted 8-0 to recommend passage of HB-479, HB-647 and HB-651, which all modify the state’s definition of video service to exclude streaming content (see 2303020012).

State bills to fight illegal robocalls made progress in Arizona and Maryland legislatures this week. The Maryland House Economic Matters Committee reported advancing its Stop the Spam Calls Act (HB-37) with amendments released Thursday. The bill is modeled on Florida and Oklahoma telemarketing laws, which go beyond the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (see 2302090049). The Arizona Senate Commerce Committee voted 6-0 Wednesday to advance to the floor another bill (HB-2498) meant to fight automated calls and texts. The House passed it unanimously last month. In a voice vote Thursday, the Washington Senate Law Committee sent another robocalls bill (HB-1051), without recommendation, to the Business Committee. The House passed the bill unanimously last month (see 2302280047).

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted wants verifiable parental consent before kids under 16 can access social media or online gaming platforms, the Republican said at a livestreamed news conference Thursday. The proposed Social Media Notification Act, part of Ohio’s 2024-25 budget proposal, would require companies to determine a user’s age, said Husted: If the user is under 16, the website would have to obtain verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian and send confirmation of that consent to the parent or guardian’s home. Parents could provide verifiable consent by signing an electronic form, calling a toll-free number, providing a credit card, videoconferencing with trained personnel or providing a government-issued ID, he said. "The facts are clear that social media is harming our children. It's been an epidemic.” Companies “are addicting our kids to their platforms with these very advanced algorithms,” and voluntary safeguards aren’t enough, he added. “We don’t want to make it burdensome,” but if companies “make it too difficult,” he's willing to increase requirements and penalties, he said. The issue is bipartisan, said State Rep. Gail Pavliga (R), who plans to usher the proposal through the General Assembly.

Washington state and New Mexico lawmakers advanced bills to revise telecom support Wednesday. The Washington Senate voted 48-1 Wednesday for a bill (SB-5600) to extend by 10 years the state's universal communications services program, which was set up in 2014 to give temporary support to small ILECs. Lawmakers previously extended the program from 2019 to June 30, 2024. A House panel considered a similar bill earlier this session (see 2301310060). Meanwhile, the New Mexico Senate Tax Committee approved a substitute to SB-155 that would say “the annual amount of access reduction support payments for an eligible incumbent local exchange carrier in 2024, 2025 and 2026 shall be equal to” what it was in 2023, with payments ending Dec. 31, 2026. The committee also cleared a House bill (HB-160) to allow the state transportation commission to waive right-of-way fees for installing infrastructure in unserved or underserved areas. The Judiciary Committee must approve it next. The House unanimously passed the bill last month (see 2302210058).

The Missouri House Corrections Committee cleared a bill (HB-693) Wednesday to cap domestic phone calls in state correctional centers at 12 cents per minute including fees. For local jails, it would set a per-minute cap of 14 cents for jails with at least 1,000 inmates, and 21 cents for smaller jails.

Florida senators added a bill on FirstNet confidential information to the Senate calendar Thursday. The Rules Committee voted 19-0 Wednesday to advance SB-7006, which would save from repeal a public records exemption for FirstNet. Unless the bill is passed, the exemption will expire Oct. 2, making FirstNet information in Florida no longer confidential.

The California Cable & Telecommunications Association renamed itself as the California Broadband & Video Association (CalBroadband), the state cable association's Operations Manager Richelle Orlando notified the California Public Utilities Commission in a Wednesday email to the service list for docket R.22-08-008.