The California Public Utilities Commission may vote Feb. 23 to open a proceeding to consider rules for NTIA broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) grants, showed a Wednesday agenda. The rulemaking will consider requirements “to determine grant funding, eligibility and compliance for funds distributed to California under” BEAD, said the proposed order. “The issues this proceeding would address include developing rules, where the Commission has discretion, that would apply to the subgrantees to whom the Commission would award BEAD funding.” That includes setting an extremely high-cost per-location threshold and deciding what geographic level to solicit proposals from applicants. Also, the CPUC would ask about additional prioritization factors, including how much weight to give proposals that use the state’s open-access middle-mile network. The proceeding would consider rules on overlapping project areas, the challenge process, match requirements, grant conditions and impacts on environmental and social justice communities. Comments will be due 45 days after the rulemaking opens.

The California Public Utilities Commission seeks “a common vocabulary regarding the distinguishing features of interconnected VoIP service,” said a Thursday ruling in docket R.22-08-008. CPUC Administrative Law Judge Camille Watts-Zagha held a prehearing conference last month in the rulemaking on possible changes to licensing requirements and other obligations for internet-based voice (see 2301240058). Watts-Zagha asked hearing participants to explain distinctions among VoIP terms like fixed, non-fixed, nomadic, stand-alone, facilities-based and over-the-top. “Party responses to the question differed in some respects, including whether the term fixed equates to facilities-based,” said Thursday’s ruling. “Several parties indicated the distinction between nomadic and fixed VoIP was shrinking, becoming ‘fuzzy,’ or was less of a distinguishing feature than in prior years.” The CPUC seeks answers by March 9 to many questions it still has about VoIP, it said.

A Utah Senate panel advanced a public safety bill including a provision allowing agencies to create a public safety answering point (PSAP) to provide 911 service to noncontiguous areas. The Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee voted unanimously for SB-212 at a livestreamed meeting Thursday. Also, the bill would increase how much money may be distributed to qualifying PSAPs.

Washington state should develop its own broadband map, said the state broadband office’s director, Mark Vasconi, at a hearing livestreamed Wednesday. The state’s Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee heard testimony but didn’t vote on SB-5718. Vasconi said he was neutral on the bill, which would require his office to develop and maintain a broadband map showing serviceable locations and service capabilities by July 1, 2024. The bill also would require the office to update the map at least twice a year. “We need more precise data” than FCC maps show, but the proposed due date is a “lofty aspiration,” commented Vasconi. Pressed by Sen. Shelly Short (R) if that should be delayed, Vasconi said “more time is always better than less.” The office can do it by July 1, 2024, but it would need to hire more people, he said. The House Innovation Committee advanced that chamber’s version (HB-1746) Tuesday.

Virginia’s bill to ban TikTok moved closer to final passage Wednesday. The House Communications Committee voted 12-9 to advance the Senate-passed SB-1459. Meanwhile, the Georgia Homeland Security Committee cleared a proposed TikTok ban (SB-93) Tuesday. Several state legislatures are considering banning the Chinese-owned social media platform (see 2302130045 and 2302100061). In Hawaii, the House Education Committee voted 7-0 Tuesday to clear a bill to authorize schools to teach digital media literacy (HB-79) including on the impacts of misinformation and online hate speech.

A Missouri bill to protect streaming services from video service provider franchise fees advanced Tuesday. The Senate Commerce Committee vote 8-1 to recommend passing SB-152, despite local governments telling senators at a hearing last week the bill is premature (see 2302070046).

The Wyoming Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted 3-2 Monday to adopt House Bill 65, which sets a July 1 deadline for the state Department of Health to designate crisis centers to provide 24/7 988 crisis call center services. The bill also gives the Health Department flexibility in providing mobile crisis response teams, testified Andi Summerville, Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers executive director. It also would provide immunity for telecom providers similar to what they have for 911, she said. Wyoming was the last state in the nation to set up in-state crisis call centers, Summerville said, noting the call centers that went live in August 2020 have to date handled more than 10,000 calls. State Health Department Director Stefan Johansson said the state has funded Lifeline operations through summer 2025. He said there was a proposal in the House for a trust fund, but that was stripped out and instead Health is to bring standard budget requests annually. A variety of supporters testified about the bill, including the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, the Wyoming Business Alliance and the Wyoming School Boards Association.

Wireless workers at AT&T, represented by the Communications Workers of America, reached a tentative agreement for a new contract covering more than 7,000 employees in nine southeast states, CWA said Monday. The four-year contract “includes substantial raises to base wages with adjustments for inflation, job title upgrades, paid parental leave, improved overtime language, new stipends for work-from-home agents, enhanced job security protections, additional commuter benefits, increased severance payments, and more improvements,” CWA said. The states covered are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands, a spokesperson said.

State legislators passed a bill to extend the sunset of the Wyoming Telecommunications Act by two years until July 1, 2025. The House voted 61-1 Thursday to pass SB-2 after the Senate voted 21-10 on Jan. 16.

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill to ban TikTok on state government devices. The Senate voted 51-0 Thursday to pass SB-2140, sending it to the House. The same day, the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee voted 15-0 to clear a House-passed bill (HB-1575) to require online safety education for children. Several state legislatures are considering TikTok bans. A Virginia House-passed bill cleared a Senate committee earlier this week (see 2302090032). More TikTok ban bills are set for hearing Monday. The Missouri House Homeland Security Committee plans to weigh HB-919, while the Kansas House Legislative Modernization Committee is scheduled to consider HB-2314. Nine Republican senators in Pennsylvania introduced a TikTok bill (SB-379) Thursday.