A New York state digital right-to-repair bill can be scheduled for Assembly floor vote after getting a green light Tuesday from the Codes Committee at a livestreamed hearing. The panel’s Democrats voted yes, while Republicans voted no, to report A-7006 to the Rules Committee. Also, the committee cleared A-7865 to require social platforms to provide reporting mechanisms for hateful conduct.
A Louisiana House panel advanced a privacy bill Tuesday to the full chamber despite continuing concerns by members and stakeholders about the comprehensive measure. The House and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-2 to clear HB-987 in its second hearing on the bill (see 2205110049). Noting he continues to receive comments, sponsor Rep. Daryl Deshotel (R) said he knows the bill has problems and will work on amendments before it gets to a House vote: "I don't want to pass a bill that's going to affect Louisiana's businesses in a negative way." Some changes made in the Commerce Committee -- supported by Microsoft -- went too far, said Deshotel, saying his goal is to align Louisiana with other states that passed privacy laws. The bill could have major impact for businesses, said Rep. Barry Ivey (R): “It is important that we get it right." Vice Chair Royce Duplessis (D) said he still has “questions about just what the bill does” and sees “a lot of work to be done.” TechNet and Louisiana Press Association officials testified against the bill. While praising Deshotel for working with LPA on its concerns, General Counsel Scott Sternberg said, “I still don't know what this bill does.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed a 911 bill Monday. SB-633 repeals a cap on county fees, creates special rights for 911 specialists and modifies the state 911 board’s membership and responsibilities (see 2203180022).
Gov. Roy Cooper (D) declared North Carolina’s intent to participate in NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment program. The state IT department’s broadband and digital equity division will administer any received BEAD award, Cooper wrote Monday to NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. The governor requested $5 million in initial planning funds. NTIA released the BEAD program’s notice of funding opportunity Friday (see 2205130054).
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska seeks comments on state USF by June 13. The RCA wants feedback in docket R-21-001 on sweeping update proposals by staff and Alaska Remote Carrier Coalition, plus broader policy questions raised by staff at an RCA meeting last month (see 2204130061), the commission ordered Friday. Reply comments will be due July 5.
Arguing that a California 7 cents-per-minute cap on incarcerated person calling service (IPCS) rates wasn't based on data, Securus sued the California Public Utilities Commission at the California 2nd District Court of Appeals. Securus filed Thursday after the CPUC denied its petition last month to rehear the agency's August interim IPCS decision (see 2204130007 and 2204120047). "Securus supports data-driven, reasoned regulation such as the IPCS rate caps adopted by the FCC in its May 24, 2021 Interim Rate Order following an exhaustive analysis of cost data submitted by IPCS providers,” said the suit. Securus supported a CPUC staff recommendation to use the FCC rate regulation as an interim measure in California, but commissioners rejected that “and adopted rate regulation divorced from reasoned decision-making and lacking any substantial evidentiary foundation. As a result, companies providing IPCS to the state’s over 200 jails are saddled with a rate cap that is well below their cost of providing service to many of those facilities.” It was “an abuse of discretion and authority by the” CPUC, said Securus: The decision was “substantively and procedurally defective and raises issues of both administrative and constitutional dimensions.” The CPUC decision was interim, but “it is likely to remain in effect for years, as these proceedings are already over a year behind schedule, necessitating this Court’s intervention now.” Securus has tried “to find common purpose with federal and state regulators … in formulating meaningful rate caps and other reforms,” said Securus parent Aventiv Technologies CEO Dave Abel: But California commissioners’ rejected staff’s recommendation and instead chose “arbitrary rate caps without considering the necessary data for a thoughtful decision that complied with California law.” Securus didn’t “come to this decision lightly,” Abel said. “We’ve undertaken a national effort to reduce costs and create better outcomes for consumers. Regulation based on the thoughtful evaluation of relevant data is vital.” The CPUC didn’t comment.
Oklahoma legislators passed an anti-robocalls bill Thursday. The House voted 87-2 to concur with Senate changes to HB-3168, which would prohibit robocalls without prior express written consent and prohibit caller ID spoofing (see 2204260067). It goes next to Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). Many state legislators are proposing laws to combat unwanted robocalls (see 2204210025).
A New York state Senate panel cleared two social media bills in voice votes at a virtual hearing Wednesday. The Internet and Technology Committee supported bills by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Anna Kaplan (D) that would require social platforms to provide reporting mechanisms for hateful conduct (S-4511) and election misinformation (S-4531). Tuesday, the Assembly Science and Technology Committee cleared A-7865, its version of S-4511, to the Codes Committee.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission sought comment Wednesday on a petition to revoke eligible telecommunications carrier designation for LTD Broadband. The PUC granted ETC status to the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund winner June 3 last year. The Minnesota Telecom Alliance and Minnesota Rural Electric Association asked the commission Friday to revoke it, said the PUC. “The petitioners believe that newly available facts show that LTD cannot meet the extensive commitments it made to qualify for RDOF funding for approximately 102,000 locations in Minnesota.” Comments are due June 1, replies June 8, in docket M-21-133.
Connecticut will be the fifth state with a comprehensive privacy law, but a Louisiana privacy bill, after clearing the House Commerce Committee earlier this week, met a possible hurdle after the House sent it down to another committee. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed SB-6 by Sen. James Maroney (D) Tuesday. The legislature passed the bill last month (see 2204290036) and the law will take effect July 1, 2023, the same day as Colorado’s privacy law. Maroney is "thrilled" Lamont signed his bill, he said Wednesday in a statement: "In our increasingly connected world, these rights are ever more important." Connecticut’s privacy law is “certainly one of the stronger bills” and “advances the conversation for privacy law in this country,” unlike the more business-friendly Utah law passed earlier this year, said Husch Blackwell attorney David Stauss, who participated in meetings to develop the Connecticut bill. It continues a trend of states, including Colorado and Virginia, passing bills based on the yet-to-be passed Washington Privacy Act, rather than on California’s law, he said in an interview. Consistency so far among state privacy bills may lessen chances of federal legislation “because you’re not getting a lot of interoperability concerns,” Stauss said. “You certainly have differences between these bills,” but “we have yet to come across a situation in which you can either comply with one state or another state.” Consumer Reports Director-Consumer Privacy Justin Brookman said Connecticut’s law isn’t “perfect, but it's definitely one of the stronger laws that have been passed.” CR was concerned after Utah’s law “that companies would be pushing for similarly weak laws, so it was important to see a stronger law pass soon after Utah,” he said. The Louisiana House and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote on HB-987 Tuesday said Chairman John Stefanski (R) at a livestreamed hearing Wednesday. The bill at first was similar to Utah’s bill but Microsoft-backed amendments added consumer protections that raised issues for TechNet members (see 2205090037). “I know there is some concern,” said Stefanski, saying he wants to “see if we can’t ease those concerns between now and the next meeting.” Sponsor Rep. Daryl Deshotel (R) said he was surprised to hear Tuesday from groups that hadn’t previously weighed in.