The New Mexico House voted 66-0 Monday to pass a broadband bill (HB-160) that would allow the state transportation commission to waive right-of-way fees for installing infrastructure in unserved or underserved areas. The bill would allow the commission to set conditions for installing fiber, conduit, poles, wireless and other broadband infrastructure on public highways. HB-160 needs Senate approval.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (D) signed a memorandum of understanding on working together to protect consumers against robocall scams, the FCC said Friday. The FCC now has 46 such agreements, including with Guam and the District of Columbia. “Robocalls are a consistent source of frustration for consumers, and my office has long worked to help people avoid losing time and money to unlawful robocalls,” Raoul said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the legislature to pass a “digital bill of rights” to protect consumers from Big Tech, the Republican said Wednesday. The proposed bill for the legislative session starting in March would ban TikTok on state government devices and at colleges, universities and public schools. Also, it would prohibit state and local government employees “from coordinating with Big Tech companies to censor protected speech.” It would require Google and other big search engines to disclose if they prioritize results based on political or ideological views or for money. DeSantis, along with governors in several other states, earlier banned TikTok on state devices via executive order (see 2301120048). Responding to the Sept. 22 EO, the Department of Management Service issued a memo Wednesday to state and local agencies.

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.

The Texas Public Utility Commission proposed approving Windstream deregulation Thursday. Under the draft order in docket 54068, the PUC would grant the telco’s petition to deregulate its Sugar Land local exchange market. Parties may file corrections or exceptions by March 2.

State legislators advanced bills on social media, privacy, broadband and 988 in votes Wednesday. A Utah bill to regulate social media cleared a Senate committee Wednesday after passing the House Feb. 9. The Senate Business and Labor Committee voted 3-2 for HB-311, which would require parental consent and prohibit social platforms “from using a design or feature that the company knows causes a minor to have an addiction to a social media platform.” The bill would be enforced by the Utah Department of Commerce Division of Consumer Protection and through a private right of action that would allow consumers to get attorney fees and damages “for harm incurred by a minor's use of the company's social media platform.” The Hawaii Senate Commerce Committee voted 4-1 to advance a comprehensive privacy bill. SB-974 remains pending before the Ways and Means Committee. The latter committee voted 11-0 to adopt SB-1317 to appropriate state funding for matching requirements in federal broadband programs. It would appropriate $33 million “or so much thereof as may be necessary” for fiscal year 2023-24 for required matching funds for NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. Also, the bill would use at least $95,000 from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the same fiscal year for BEAD. The New Mexico Senate voted 33-1 Wednesday to pass a bill to require incumbent local exchange carriers with at least 50,000 customers to be regulated the same as rural ILECs under New Mexico’s Rural Telecommunications Act. Also, SB-41 would say effective competition exists in a wire center when two or more alternative providers sell voice, regardless of technology. It goes next to the House. In Wyoming, the state Senate voted 19-12 for a bill to fund and set state rules for the 988 mental health hotline. The House now must concur with the Senate after passing HB-65 last month 38-23.

A Kansas bill to exempt satellite TV and streaming video services from the state’s video franchise law cleared the Senate Utilities Committee in a voice vote Thursday. SB-144 would clarify that municipalities can’t apply a 5% franchise fee to the services that lack facilities in the right of way. “This is a clarification bill” that's meant to “maintain the status quo,” said DirecTV and Dish Network counsel Damon Stewart of Orrick Herrington. It responds to a number of cities that are "creatively interpreting” the 20-year-old Kansas statute in lawsuits against Hulu and Netflix in an attempt to get them to pay ROW fees, he said. Similar bills passed by overwhelming margins in Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio and Arizona, Stewart added. Ranking minority member Marci Francisco (D) raised concerns the committee didn’t give a “fair hearing” to written opposition she received only when the meeting started. We couldn’t find the testimony online and the committee didn’t respond to our request for copies by our deadline. A Missouri Senate panel cleared a similar bill Tuesday (see 2302150049).

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.

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.

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.