Several bills regulating social media are headed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, as expected (see 2208300053), after the California Assembly wrapped up its legislative session Tuesday. AB-587, which would establish new transparency requirements for social media platforms’ content moderation practices, passed 66-0. AB-2273, which would require social media companies with child users to follow “age-appropriate” design principles, passed 75-0. AB-2879, which would subject platforms to civil liability if they don’t follow new reporting requirements for cyberbullying, passed 67-1. SB-1008, which would eliminate all telecom fees for prisoners in county jails and state prisons, passed 56-16. SB-1018, which would require platforms to report specifics about how their algorithms rank content, passed 51-21. SB-884, which would require the CPUC to establish an electric undergrounding program that requires telecom providers to put non-wireless infrastructure underground and pay proportionate costs, passed 67-0. “It’s long past time for tech companies to provide real transparency into how they are shaping our public discourse," California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D), author of AB-587, said in a statement. "The public and policymakers deserve to know when social media companies are amplifying certain voices and silencing others." Newsom (D) should sign the appropriate-design legislation, AB-2273, said Parents Television and Media Council President Tim Winter in a statement, calling it an important, common-sense “step to ensure that tech companies design their products with children’s safety in mind.” The Computer & Communications Industry Association cited “several problematic bills” on content moderation, data privacy and algorithms, singling out “heavy compliance requirements” under AB-587 and AB-2273. “These bills would create significant and potentially costly compliance requirements that may unintentionally stifle innovation and competition,” said CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender. “The measures require study, as they may raise constitutional concerns and conflict with federal law.”

USTelecom urged Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to sign a broadband bill to streamline the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grant review process. The legislature last week passed AB-2749, which would set a 180-day shot clock for the California Public Utilities Commission to decide CASF applications (see 2208260050). Newsom should “sign the bill as soon as possible to ensure there is no delay in getting Californians access to broadband,” a USTelecom spokesperson said Monday. The Electronic Frontier Foundation withdrew its opposition and is now neutral on AB-2749 after it was amended earlier this month, EFF Legislative Associate Chao Jun Liu emailed Monday. EFF earlier raised concerns including that the shot clock could limit competition.

The Colorado Broadband Office wants challenges by Monday to initial decisions for the winter 2022 grant cycle. The Broadband Deployment Board posted decisions Friday on applicants’ ability to meet minimum requirements for high-cost support mechanism and American Rescue Plan Act funding. The board decided Thursday to cancel the summer 2022 grant cycle because it said recent changes to state law and federal rules “created delay.” Funding carries over from one cycle to the next, “so this decision does not impact funding availability,” it said. “The Board believes this will allow staff, the Board, and the public to reconvene to assess Board processes, deliberate issues, and prepare for a better upcoming cycle.” Applications for the winter 2023 grant cycle are due Jan. 15.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) unveiled more than $26 million in state broadband grants Friday. With nine grants from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, the state aims to expand high-speed internet to 15,000 households, businesses and public facilities, Ivey’s office said. Comcast received five grants totaling about $11.6 million. Alabama gave two grants totaling about $7.8 million to Farmers Telecom and two grants totaling nearly $7.3 million to Charter Communications.

AT&T is considering appeal options after a federal court dismissed its wireless infrastructure lawsuit against Los Altos, California, an AT&T spokesperson said Friday. The U.S District Court in San Jose dismissed a similar complaint by Verizon in the same decision Monday. The carriers challenged the city rejecting applications to install small-cell wireless facilities under a 2019 local law, but the city issued a new law this year without the challenged provisions, said Judge Edward Davila: That moots AT&T’s and Verizon’s claims that Los Altos’ law is an effective prohibition violating the Telecom Act. The city is unlikely to reenact challenged parts of the old law and is “entitled to a presumption of good faith,” Davila said. Verizon didn’t comment Friday.

Stop Pacific Gas and Electric from changing how it provides electricity to wireless providers, the Wireless Infrastructure Association urged the California Public Utilities Commission Wednesday. WIA supported Dish Network seeking a temporary restraining order against PG&E (docket C.22-08-002). “PG&E is attempting to implement a major change without giving customers an opportunity to object and the Commission an opportunity to investigate the unjust and unreasonable new terms and conditions of service under its tariff,” it said. WIA members including Dish “will suffer -- and are already suffering -- significant, irreparable harm absent immediate injunctive relief,” the association said. PG&E has until Monday to answer Dish’s complaint, CPUC Administrative Law Judge Jacob Rambo ruled last week.

Lumen’s CenturyLink opposes hearings in a Minnesota Public Utilities Commission service-quality probe. State agencies and Communications Workers of America sought hearings because they said settlement talks had stalled (see 2208160036). In a Wednesday letter, CenturyLink said hearings “seem likely to slow down, rather than speed up, resolution” of docket C-20-432. It “remains interested” in settlement talks, said the carrier: If the PUC instead seeks hearings, it should limit their scope to regulated telecom services for which it has jurisdiction.

California’s legislature passed a broadband bill to require a state digital equity plan by Jan. 1, 2024. The Assembly voted 75-0 Wednesday to concur with Senate amendments to AB-2750. Senators unanimously passed it Tuesday (see 2208240046). The Senate voted 36-0 Wednesday for AB-2749 to revise the CPUC’s review process for California Advanced Services Fund grant applications. The Assembly may vote Friday or later to concur or disagree with Senate amendments. The Electronic Frontier Foundation earlier said it will seek a veto of the industry-backed bill if it passes the legislature (see 2208120039). California legislators plan to adjourn Aug. 31.

Regulatory Commission of Alaska members broadly agree the body needs more time to consider the next step for Alaska USF and will look at proposals extending the planned June sunset of the AUSF at the group's Sept. 28 meeting, the RCA said on a videoconference Wednesday. The RCA’s authority over the telecom industry remains unclear after a 2019 deregulation law (see 2006100048) and the proposals received for the AUSF’s future in two rounds of comments have been light on evidence, said Commissioner Robert Pickett. The commission was also told a plan for the AUSF would need to be in the hands of the Alaska Department of Law by October for it to take effect before the sunset, Pickett said. “There has been a lot of support for continuing the program but not any kind of consensus on how it should be done,” said David Parrish, RCA common carrier specialist. “Allowing more time for some of these things to shake out is probably wise,” said Commissioner Robert Doyle. The RCA is waiting for clarity from the state's Department of Law on the bounds of its authority, and several commissioners questioned whether the language of the USF statute, which gives the body authority to oversee reasonable long-distance rates, could be stretched to include broadband or oversee a competitive telecommunications marketplace. Extending the USF “by a few years” could provide “space for industry to engage with the legislature” and time to clarify the RCA’s role, said Chairman Keith Kurber. Pickett indicated he prefers a short extension and said he didn’t want to leave it up to a future RCA. “We extend it three years and then some of us aren’t here anymore,” he said. Pickett said staff and commissioners, between now and the September meeting, would discuss and take a look at precise dates for the extension.

The California Assembly passed a social media hate-speech bill Tuesday. Members voted 70-0 for SB-1056 to require social media platforms with at least 1 million monthly users to say if they have a mechanism for reporting violent posts. The Senate earlier passed the bill but must vote again to concur with Assembly amendments. SB-1056 is one of several California social media bills up for floor votes before the legislature adjourns Aug. 31 (see 2208120039). Also Tuesday, the Senate voted 40-0 to pass AB-2750 to require a state digital equity plan by Jan. 1, 2024. It needs another Assembly vote to concur with Senate changes.