Iowa began accepting applications on Wednesday for its $400,000 Empower Rural Iowa broadband grant program funded by the BEAD program (see 2507140059). Applications are due by July 30 at 5 p.m. CDT. The Iowa Department of Management released its notice of funding availability last week, highlighting several notable changes. The previous "fiber-first" preference was eliminated and replaced with a technology-neutral approach. The funding notice requires broadband speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps for noncommunity anchor institutions and at least 1 Gbps symmetrical for community anchor institutions. Scoring for subgrantees was also revised to "focus exclusively on the qualifying broadband offering at each eligible location that can be provided with the smallest outlay of federal funds." Unlicensed fixed wireless providers will be given an opportunity to prove that locations within their networks are currently served to be removed from BEAD eligibility. The state anticipates grant agreements being executed in early December.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) joined Visionary Broadband for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for a rural fiber broadband expansion project. The ISP was among a group awarded funding in December 2022 through the state's $119.9 million ConnectMT grant program. “By working with partners like Visionary Broadband and supporting projects like this, we’re ensuring reliable connections for our rural communities and creating greater access to good-paying jobs, high-quality education, and affordable health care," Gianforte said. The new funding will "enhance service in Whitehall and extends coverage to Cardwell, Piedmont, Pipestone, Twin Bridges, and Waterloo," said a news release.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed a bill Monday modifying the state's laws on underground facilities. S-133 updates Missouri's 811 system, which serves as the state's single point of contact for public underground facilities. The updates include requiring underground facilities to be installed with "detectable underground tracking systems" and reducing liability for excavators if they followed proper standards but were given incorrect information. The measure also now includes the 811 board's representation for contractors and underground facility owners. The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) applauded updates, noting the bill adopted the group's best practices for marking buried utilities before digging. "Preventing damage to buried utilities takes everyone doing their part, including utility facility owners, locators and excavators, and it relies upon the accurate mapping, locating and marking of these utilities," said CGA CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle.

Michigan has become the latest state to start a new round of BEAD application submissions under NTIA's revised rules, known as the "Benefit of the Bargain" round (see 2507030010). The Office of Labor and Economic Opportunity said Friday that it's accepting new and modified registrations from interested ISPs until July 24 at 4 p.m. ET. Previously submitted applications must be updated to meet NTIA's new guidance. "Specific opening and closing dates and times for the project application window will be announced as soon as possible," the office said.

A Washington, D.C., bill banning wireless devices for students during school hours was sent to Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) on Friday. The mayor has until July 24 to act on the bill before it's sent to Congress for final review. Councilmember Brooke Pinto led a group of Democratic lawmakers in introducing the measure (B26-73) in January (see 2501270058). A financial impact statement from the Office of the CFO noted that while there isn't enough funding through FY 2028 to develop policies and implement the legislation, local education agencies won't need additional resources to do so on their own.

Pennsylvania's Emergency Management Agency sent an alert Friday afternoon warning of a statewide intermittent 911 outage. The alert, which included "extreme" in the headline, asked individuals to contact their local 911 centers' non-emergency lines if they experience any issues. Individuals were also told to check their counties' social media and website for more information. "We are on top of the issue and working to restore full service as quickly as possible," wrote Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) on X.

Massachusetts lawmakers advanced legislation Thursday that would prohibit mobile devices for students in schools, joining a growing number of states. The Joint Committee on Education approved S-2549, which was introduced by a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers. The bill would apply to public schools and require that the ban be implemented "before the start of the 2026-2027 school year." The state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would also be required to submit a report to the committee by Dec. 31, 2027, on the effect of the ban.

Several industry groups urged the California Public Utilities Commission to abandon a proposal to assess telecom user fees based on access lines. In reply comments posted Wednesday (docket 21-03-002), CTIA said access-line-based assessment has "resulted in inequitable distribution of the surcharge burden, placing an undue share of the burden on wireless consumers and increasing the burden on residential and low-income users." Verizon agreed, saying the commission should instead assess the "reasonableness of the current per-line surcharge mechanism in this phase of the proceeding." The user fee, or public purpose program surcharge, is "operating effectively" as is and doesn't need further modifications, said the California Broadband & Video Association. AT&T suggested the commission "defer consideration of the modification of the user fee funding mechanism until the legislature authorizes" it to make changes.

Brightspeed is on track to serve nearly 43,000 homes and businesses across 35,000 locations with fiber in Jacksonville, North Carolina, the ISP said Thursday. Once the fiber deployments are complete, Brightspeed said, roughly 60% of Jacksonville's population will have access to its network. Earlier this month, the company announced the completion of a separate fiber deployment in the state's Piedmont region to serve more than 10,700 homes and businesses.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) called on Congress and the FCC to grant state prisons the authority to jam contraband cellphones in their facilities, following a report by state grand jurors highlighting the issue. The 34th and 35th State Grand Jurors released reports Wednesday finding that inmate criminal organizations are still able to operate with their leaders in prison. “Locking someone up doesn’t make us safer if they’re still running criminal empires from behind bars,” Wilson said: "We know how to stop this; the technology already exists and is being used in federal prisons." Jamming inmates' cellphone communication "would immediately eliminate so much of the criminal activities within our state prisons," one of the reports said.