The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission ordered more talks between the state Commerce Department and eligible telecom carriers about possible changes to a list of best practices for Lifeline outreach. Commissioners voted 5-0 at a livestreamed meeting Thursday for Commissioner John Tuma’s motion on the item in docket CI-20-747. The department asked the PUC to adopt recommendations for changes that it developed, but Tuma said he wanted to give telecom companies more flexibility and didn’t want to require anything at this time. “First, try to work it out,” he said. While supporting the motion, Chair Katie Sieben noted it’s good to keep pushing companies to increase their customer outreach. The Minnesota Telecom Alliance is “absolutely” open to talks, said CEO Brent Christensen. Commerce’s recommended changes weren’t meant to be prescriptive, but the department supports discussions, said its representative, Assistant Attorney General Richard Dornfeld. Assistant AG Travis Murray, representing the state AG office, noted the recommendations aren’t requirements but the "result of issues we've seen," and shouldn’t be "a grand imposition." Even so, he said the AG office doesn’t oppose more discussion.
Iowa’s chief information officer wants communities to flag priority areas for the next Empower Rural Iowa broadband grants round, the CIO’s office said in a news release Thursday. The office opened applications for an invitation to qualify (ITQ) that closes March 31. “We believe the ITQ application process is a first of its kind in the country and unique to Iowa,” said CIO Matt Behrens.
Utah bills to regulate social media passed the legislature Wednesday. The Senate voted 22-4 to concur with House changes to SB-152 after that chamber passed the bill 60-11 earlier in the day. The bill would require a social media company to verify age and require parental consent for any Utah resident under 18 seeking to open an account. Also, the Senate voted 25-2 to pass HB-311 (see 2302160070), which would require parental consent and prohibit social platforms “from using a design or feature that the company knows causes a minor to have an addiction to a social media platform.” Also Wednesday, the Mississippi House amended and passed a Senate bill to ban TikTok on government devices. The Senate earlier passed SB-2140 and must agree to House changes (see 2302100061).
Bills to clarify that streaming video doesn’t pay franchise fees advanced in Arkansas and Missouri Wednesday. The Arkansas House Commerce Committee cleared HB-1388, which also exempts satellite TV from paying fees. The Missouri Commerce Committee advanced HB-479, HB-647 and HB-651, which all modify the state’s definition of video service to exclude streaming content. A similar Senate bill moved forward last month (see 2302150049).
An Oklahoma Senate panel supported a bill requiring wireless providers to repair all damage to rights of way if they directly caused it. The Senate Telecommunications Committee voted 11-0 Thursday for SB-1099.
The Hawaii House Ways and Means Committee approved a comprehensive privacy bill (SB-974) by unanimous voice vote at a webcast hearing Wednesday. The bill received Commerce Committee approval earlier this month and can now move to the floor.
The New Jersey Senate received a bill from the Assembly Tuesday that would make rules for abandoned telephone lines. The House voted 63-13 to pass A-1100 the previous day. It would require removing telecom and cable lines that don’t terminate at both ends to equipment or a customer premise, aren't in a safe condition or haven’t been operated for at least 24 consecutive months. Similar Senate bill (S-995) hasn’t budged since it was introduced Jan. 31.
Hawaii House and Senate committees advanced bills Tuesday to repeal some reporting requirements for broadband service providers. The House Consumer Protection Committee voted 9-0 for HB-371. At a joint meeting in the Senate, the Commerce Committee voted 4-1 and the Judiciary Committee each voted 4-1 for the similar SB-478. The bills would repeal Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 440J, which required wireline and cable companies to file broadband availability data at the census-block level and prices. The House Education Committee, which earlier cleared the bill, wrote in its report that Chapter 440J data collection “has effectively been replaced by the more comprehensive and granular data collection provided by the FCC.” Each bill may now go to its chamber’s floor.
Don’t preempt California’s privacy law, warned Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and the California Privacy Protection Agency in a letter to Congress Tuesday. They opposed preemption language in the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (HR-8152) ahead of a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday. Congress should set a floor, not the ceiling, for privacy protections, they said in a letter. In a separate statement, Newsom said any national privacy law “should strengthen, not weaken our existing laws here in California.” Bonta added, “There is no doubt that stronger federal action is needed to protect the privacy of Americans, but these actions must not preempt existing protections in place.” If HR-8152 is adopted as is, “not only could existing privacy protections be weakened, but it could prevent California legislators, and Californians through the ballot initiative, from passing new protections to address changes in technology,” said the privacy agency’s Executive Director Ashkan Soltani.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission set an April 19 hearing in a proceeding on duplicative pole attachment processes. Frontier Communications and Monongahela Power and Potomac Edison filed an amended agreement in December in response to PSC scrutiny. But Citynet, another telecom company, said the pact failed to resolve the issues (see 2302010011). The 9:30 a.m. hearing is to “address Commission questions about the pole attachment process,” said Monday’s PSC order (docket 22-0885-T-E-SC).