Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) will focus on “willful noncompliance” with the state’s privacy law after it takes effect July 1, he said Thursday at a Sedona Conference event in Denver. “For those that try to comply, but make mistakes, our focus will be on enabling compliance.” Weiser expects to “revisit and revise aspects” of the law, he said. “Given the novelty of some of the rules, we know that we are going to learn a fair amount as they go into effect.” Universal opt-out mechanisms are new, he said. “To drive this effort forward, we are taking on the responsibility of maintaining a list of recognized mechanisms.” Also, the AG is “interested to see how our requirements on privacy notices and purpose specification play out in practice and give consumers more insight into how data is used,” he said. ”Finally, we are going to keep a close eye on so-called ‘dark patterns,’ with rules now in place to guide when such patterns are in play.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed telemarketing and 988 funding bills Wednesday. Moore signed the Stop the Spam Calls Act (HB-37/SB-90), modeled on Florida and Oklahoma telemarketing laws that go beyond the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The 988 bill (SB-3/HB-271) requires $12 million for the mental health hotline in the FY 2025 budget.

The California Privacy Protection Agency board plans to discuss “future regulations” at a virtual meeting May 15 at 9 a.m. PDT, it said Thursday. The agency released an agenda.

The Colorado legislature passed a bill to make inmate calls free at state prisons and juvenile detention facilities starting July 1, 2025. The Senate voted 23-12 Wednesday for HB-1133. The House passed the measure last month (see 2304240053). If Gov. Jared Polis (D) signs the bill, Colorado will be the third state to make prison calls free, after Connecticut and California. “Colorado joins a growing list of cities and states that have put families first and make prison and jail communication free,” said Worth Rises Executive Director Bianca Tylek. “There are a handful of other states still considering this legislation this year, and we expect more in the future.” In the same news release, sponsor Rep. Judy Amabile (D) said the bill "is going to help people on the inside stay connected with their loved ones and communities.”

Pornhub restricted website access to everyone in Utah in response to a state law (SB-287) that took effect Wednesday. The Utah law requires porn websites to verify users’ ages before letting them access content. Requiring ID-based age verification before accessing an adult website puts users’ privacy at risk, and requiring it “without proper enforcement gives platforms the opportunity to choose whether or not to comply,” said adult actress Cherie DeVille in a video shown to Utahns who try to access Pornhub. “As we’ve seen in other states, this just drives traffic to sites with far fewer safety measures in place.” Identifying users by device is the best way to protect children, she said. A separate Utah law (SB-152) requiring age verification for social media platforms (see 2303240035) also took effect Wednesday. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed the age-verification bills in March. "Companies should be held responsible for knowingly distributing pornography to minors," said Cox. "The very least we can do as a society is to ask companies to verify the age of those viewing the pornography they produce and distribute. This unanimous, bipartisan legislation provides multiple ways to satisfy that requirement. However, I fully support PornHub’s decision to remove their content in Utah.”

The Colorado Senate voted 28-5 for a 988 bill that would include continuous appropriations to the mental health crisis hotline. The Senate amended HB-1236 Tuesday, so the bill must return to the House for a concurrence vote. Under existing law, the General Assembly must agree to a 988 appropriation annually.

AT&T must amend an application seeking relief of carrier of last resort obligations due to “substantial incompleteness,” Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola ruled Wednesday in docket A.23-03-003: “As it stands, a prehearing conference will not be scheduled, and the application is at risk of dismissal.” AT&T failed to specify in what census blocks it wants relief or name affected communities, said the ALJ: The carrier has 30 days to amend its application. AT&T in a filing supporting its petition last month declared copper is dead (see 2304170055). AT&T will provide the requested information, said a company spokesperson: “We appreciate the Judge’s guidance and direction regarding AT&T’s request to begin the process for a fair transition from outdated, copper-based telephone networks and services to the modern communication technologies consumers demand."

Texas legislators unanimously supported extending a Sept. 1 sunset on USF support for small telcos until Sept. 1, 2033. The House voted 145-0 Wednesday for SB-1425 after the Senate last month voted 31-0. The bill still needs a signature from Gov. Greg Abbott (R). On Tuesday, the House passed a broadband bill (SB-1238) with amendments in a 132-7 vote. It would update Texas laws to declare a fiber preference and otherwise prepare for incoming federal dollars from NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment program. Texas House members last week showed wide support for a constitutional amendment to create a state broadband fund (see 2304270056). The Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative applauded SB-1425 passage. "TSTCI appreciates the legislature’s efforts to keep a methodology in place that promotes accountability, and regulatory efficiency, in determining and adjusting [Texas USF] distributions to this segment of the industry," said TSTCI President Allen Hyer.

The Florida legislature passed changes to the state telemarketing law that attorneys say would undercut class-action complaints under the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act. Senators voted 29-10 Tuesday for HB-761, which would narrow the FTSA’s definition of autodialer (see 2304260035). On Wednesday, the state House voted 115-0 for the Senate-passed SB-1418, which aims to support the state’s transition to next-generation 911. The bills need approval of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The House also passed a comprehensive privacy bill with amendments Wednesday (see 2305030040).

Colorado lifted an 18-year-old municipal broadband ban. Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed SB-183 Monday to repeal many parts of a 2005 state ban. Local governments applauded the legislature's passing the bill last month (see 2304190048). “Colorado now has a clear path to achieving” Polis’s goal to connect households, “establishing a competitive economy … for generations to come," said Colorado Broadband Office Executive Director Brandy Reitter. Meanwhile, the Senate voted 43-20 Monday for a bill (HB-1306) that would allow elected officials to bar an individual from using the official’s private social media account for “any reason,” including bullying, harassment or intimidation.