Verizon needs another year to migrate TracFone California customers to its network due to inaction by affected users, Verizon said in a Friday letter to the California Public Utilities Commission. In 2021, the CPUC approved Verizon’s TracFone buy with a condition that it migrate all TraceFone customers to Verizon’s network by Nov. 22 this year. Verizon seeks an extension to Nov. 22, 2024, “to align with federal regulatory obligations and to continue its efforts to persuade TracFone’s California-based customers to migrate through customer-friendly incentives in light of widespread customer inaction despite Verizon and TracFone’s robust outreach to affected customers.” The FCC’s merger approval allowed three-years minimum for customer migration, Verizon said. Saying it can’t force anyone, the carrier said it’s doing everything it can to move customers. “Despite robust outreach and generous incentives, a large number of customers have not migrated,” it said. “These customers have been contacted on a nearly weekly cadence, with some customers having received over 50 communications to date.” The carrier later in the letter described the number of unmoved customers as a “large percentage of the original universe of TracFone customers on non-Verizon networks.” If customers don’t move by the current deadline, Verizon would continue to provide service for the time being but cease to communicate migration offers, it said. “Such customers, assuming they do not switch service providers of their own volition, will remain in this status until TracFone ceases to provide service over the third-party network used to serve the customers.” Verizon would inform customers before they lose service, it said. The carrier asked the CPUC to extend the deadline by June 22.

A Texas children’s privacy bill might shutter some services for everyone under 18, if enacted, said the Computer & Communications Industry Association. In a Thursday letter, CCIA urged Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to veto HB-18, which the legislature passed over the weekend (see 2305300057). When the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) took effect, covering users under 13, “some businesses chose to shut down various services ... due to regulatory complexity -- it became easier to simply not serve this population,” wrote CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender: If the Texas bill becomes law, users “between 14 and 17 could face a similar fate as HB 18 would implement more complex vetting requirements tied to parental consent for users under 18.” Also, age verification requirements in HB-18 would require companies to collect more data about all users, said Boender: No “commercially reasonable” mechanism exists to check ages. Mandating content filters on devices “could invite significant consumer confusion for adults unaware that such filters aimed for children are set by default,” said the tech industry official, noting filters create "significant liability concerns due to the subjective nature of what may be considered" harmful or obscene. Businesses will have difficulty complying with the bill’s overly broad requirements, Boender added.

An Oregon privacy bill cleared the Ways and Means joint committee and may go to the Senate floor. The panel unanimously supported SB-619 with a short amendment. "There are a couple things in the bill I'm not happy about, but ... it is a great step forward,” said co-sponsor Rep. Paul Holvey (D) at a webcast meeting Wednesday. Holvey said he has concerns about how individual consumers will be able to recover remedies for harm caused by violations. The bill initially included a private right of action, but a Senate panel removed it last month, leaving the attorney general as the proposed law’s sole enforcer (see 2304040042).

California digital equity and data broker bills passed in their origin chambers Wednesday. The Assembly voted 48-18 for AB-41, which aims to tighten digital equity requirements in the state’s video franchise law (see 2304200044). The Senate voted 32-8 for SB-362, which would allow consumers to delete data brokers collected on them. The bill would also transfer a data broker registry to the California Privacy Protection Agency from the state Justice Department. “We are one step closer to finally giving consumers the power to control who accesses their most sensitive personal information,” said the data bill’s author, Sen. Josh Becker (D). The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse applauded Senate passage in the same news release.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) supported exempting streaming and satellite TV from the state video franchise law. Lombardo signed AB-146 Tuesday. A growing number of states are enacting such laws in response to some cities’ litigation against streaming companies like Netflix and Hulu (see 2305190048).

The California Assembly widely supported explicitly authorizing wireless broadband providers to get support from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband infrastructure grant and federal funding accounts. Members voted 79-0 Tuesday to send AB-1065 to the Senate. The Assembly also voted 79-0 for AB-1061, which would require the California Public Utilities Commission to report to the legislature on telcos' performance meeting customer service requirements. The Senate voted 40-0 that day for SB-74 to prohibit high-risk social media apps that are at least partly owned by an entity or “country of concern.”

State telecom and internet bills passed origin chambers in California and New Jersey last week. The California Assembly voted 63-0 to pass AB-414 to establish a digital equity bill of rights for Californians. The Assembly voted 77-0 for AB-1282, which would require a study on mental health risks of social media for children. The Senate voted 40-0 for SB-318 to require the California Department of Social Services to develop and run a grant program for support services for 211. In New Jersey, the Assembly voted 72-2 to pass A-3769 to require music and video websites to disclose their correct contact information. All the bills will go to their opposite chambers.

Vermont will extend a state telecom siting process by three years. Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed H-110 Thursday. It delays the sunset on the 2007-established Section 248(a) procedure until July 1, 2026, while making no changes to the process (see 2305010067).

Florida awarded another $60 million through its Broadband Opportunity Program, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday. The funding will go to 22 fiber and fixed wireless projects in 19 counties. It brings Florida’s total broadband spending this year to about $226 million, said DeSantis.

Massachusetts legislators “need to hear from more parties” on a bill that would require one-touch, make ready (OTMR) in the state, said Senate Chair Michael Barrett (D) at a Joint Telecommunications Committee hearing livestreamed Thursday. GoNetSpeed, a competitive telecom provider, urged the committee to support S-2133. But no other groups testified for or against the bill. The bill would speed network deployment, said GoNetSpeed Manager-Government Affairs Heidi Mahoney: State and federal laws give access to poles, but their owners "often caused unwarranted delays and obstacles.” More than 30 other states follow OTMR, including all other New England states, said GoNetSpeed Chief Legal Officer Jamie Hoare. Having multiple trucks come separately to make poles ready unnecessarily adds weeks and months into the process, he said. Noting the lack of opponents at the hearing, Barrett asked GoNetSpeed what concerns are commonly raised with OTMR. Owners often raise safety concerns, but the process is safe and owners get input in the process, said Hoare: Another common concern is that costs will be shifted to ratepayers, but there has not been evidence of that. Also, the chair asked if GoNetSpeed had asked the Department of Telecommunications and Cable to require OTMR. Hoare said the DTC has an active proceeding, but it’s unclear when it will conclude.