Bills on privacy, kids’ online safety and an AI-based 311 phone service neared the Maryland governor’s desk last week. On Thursday, the House voted 103-33 for a comprehensive privacy bill (SB-541). Meanwhile, the Senate is nearing a vote on the cross-filed House version (HB-567). Maryland’s privacy proposal earlier received generally positive reviews from consumer privacy groups (see 2402140053). Also Thursday, the House voted 136-0 for SB-571, a kids’ safety bill modeled after the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act. The Senate passed the similar House version (HB-603) Wednesday (see 2404040030). In addition, the House supported similar bills to direct the Department of Information Technology to evaluate the feasibility of an AI-based, statewide 311 system and possibly launch a pilot. The House voted 126-9 to approve the Senate-passed SB-1068. And it voted 132-5 for HB-1141 after amending it to match the Senate bill. A House committee heard testimony on SB-1068 last week (see 2403270041). Gov. Wes Moore (D) would need to sign the bills if they pass the Maryland General Assembly.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D) directed the Kentucky Public Service Commission to make emergency rules within 45 days that streamline pole attachments for broadband providers. Beshear signed a resolution Thursday that the legislature had passed last month (see 2403250037). Also, Beshear signed a consumer privacy bill (HB-15) that Consumer Reports called weak (see 2403280057). It makes Kentucky the 16th state with a comprehensive privacy law. And Beshear signed a bill (HB-528) on how 911 revenue should be spent through July 1, 2025.

A Maryland kids’ safety bill modeled after the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act passed the state Senate. It voted 46-0 in favor of HB-603 with an amendment delaying the effective date to Oct. 1, 2025. The House passed the bill last month with a 2024 effective date, so it must vote again to concur with the Senate change. Education advocates supported and tech groups opposed the bill at a February hearing (see 2402140053). Also Wednesday, the Senate voted 44-3 to support a 25 cent surcharge to fund the 988 mental health hotline. The bill (HB-933) earlier passed the House, which Tuesday also approved the identical Senate version (see 2404030049). The 988 bills will go to Gov. Wes Moore (D).

The Utah Public Service Commission granted SpaceX’s request to relinquish its eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation, the PSC ordered Tuesday. The PSC made the company an ETC in 2021 so that it could participate in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. But the FCC last year upheld the Wireless Bureau’s 2022 rejection of Starlink’s application for RDOF support (see 2312130027).

The California Privacy Protection Agency posted guidance on complying with data minimization requirements of the California Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CCPA). It’s the Enforcement Division’s first CCPA advisory, the agency said Tuesday. “We intend for our Enforcement Advisories to promote voluntary compliance, but sometimes stronger medicine will be in order,” said Deputy Director of Enforcement Michael Macko. The division has noticed “that certain businesses are asking consumers to provide excessive and unnecessary personal information in response to requests that consumers make under the CCPA,” the advisory said.

A possible shakeup to Vermont universal service passed the state House on Tuesday. The House approved HB-657, which included a minor amendment by sponsor Rep. Katherine Sims (D) replacing the words "digital subscriber line" with "twisted-pair cable." Rather than the current 2% revenue-based state USF mechanism, the House-passed bill would assess 72 cents monthly per retail access line, including VoIP and postpaid wireless. That’s up 2 cents from a previous proposal heard by the Ways and Means Committee (see 2402070057). Carriers would pay 2.4% of monthly prepaid wireless retail sales and federal and Vermont Lifeline subscribers wouldn’t have to pay the fee. Also, the bill would add the 988 mental health hotline to a list of what state USF may support. Meanwhile, H-657 would repeal Vermont taxes on telephone personal property and alternative telephone gross revenue. The current bill doesn’t include a previously proposed $15 annual pole attachment tax to support community media, which received much opposition from the telecom industry. Instead, it would require “reasonable” annual charges for communications providers accessing state right of way. For small cells, that would be $270 per facility; for twisted-pair, coaxial or fiber cables, it would be 2 cents per linear foot in small counties and 7 cents in mid-sized counties and 13 cents in large counties. It wouldn’t apply to facilities owned by communications union districts, small carriers, state grant recipients, cable franchises and electric utilities. The bill next goes to the Senate.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission will consider changes to telecom service outage reporting requirements, the PSC decided at its Wednesday meeting. Commissioners voted 4-0 for the order in docket C-5564. Commissioner Eric Kamler (R) wasn't at the meeting. Outage reporting is “essential,” but the PSC “has recently observed an increase in the number of significant and concerning outages, and in reports of cable cuts,” the agency said. In addition, the PSC said it has heard that “requirements in its outage reporting policy are unclear and could be subject to multiple interpretations.” One proposed change would require that a carrier’s initial outage report include a “listing of any public safety answering points, government officials, other agencies, or news media notified of the outage.” Also, the PSC would require daily updates for outages lasting longer than three days. The current requirement is an update every five days for outages longer than five days. A final report would be due five business days after service is restored, down from 14 days. It would have to address how the outage affected 911 services, in addition to previous requirements. Also, the PSC proposal would redefine what counts as a service interruption. It would exempt planned or scheduled outages when customers receive notice at least 24 hours in advance. The PSC set a workshop for May 29 at 1:30 p.m. CST and asked for written comments on proposed changes by June 14.

The Maryland General Assembly supported a 25 cent fee that will help fund the 988 mental health hotline. It would apply monthly to landline and postpaid mobile services, while prepaid wireless would pay a quarter per retail transaction under SB-974. The bill passed the Senate last month 42-3. The Maryland House voted 110-26 Tuesday for the Senate bill after last month voting 121-17 for a House version (HB-933). The bill will go to Gov. Wes Moore (D).

The California Public Utilities Commission released NTIA curing instructions for volume one of California’s initial proposal for the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. The CPUC gave parties until Thursday at 5 p.m. PST to comment on the Tuesday notice in docket R.23-02-016. The record for volume one will stand submitted at the same time and date, said Administrative Law Judge Thomas Glegola. “A proposed decision may be issued anytime thereafter.” The CPUC attached NTIA’s curing instructions from Feb. 6 and March 8, plus the CPUC Feb. 23 response and a Jan. 13 letter to the FCC about the state’s challenge to the national broadband map. In California’s cured volume one, the CPUC added information from the FCC’s Jan. 6 broadband report showing that “advertised or claimed DSL speeds rarely meet or exceed actual speeds delivered to customers,” the agency said. That and other “sources of objective data provide ample evidentiary basis to substantiate” a CPUC modification to NTIA’s model that presumes “locations for which providers have claimed to deliver speeds only slightly above the ‘unserved’ threshold, up to [30 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload], are actually receiving speeds below the ‘unserved’ threshold of 25/3 Mbps,” the commission said. “This modification is consistent with the CPUC’s and NTIA’s longstanding efforts to phase out legacy copper network infrastructure, and it does not seek to modify in any way the unserved threshold established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”

The Tennessee Senate voted 30-0 for a broadband reporting bill Monday. SB-2907 would require state and federal broadband grant recipients to list unserved areas where they plan to deploy high-speed internet using government cash, and to say when they aim to have service in those places. The House Commerce Committee took no action on the cross-filed HB-2910 at a Tuesday meeting.