The California Public Utilities Commission extended through June 30 the temporary suspension of state LifeLine renewals and the three-month documentation rule for demonstrating income-based qualification. Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Wang’s Monday ruling in docket R.20-02-008 aligns the CPUC with the FCC’s Friday order on federal Lifeline, and lengthens a temporary suspension that began March 19, 2020.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed a broadband bill (SB-214) Thursday to set up a commission of legislators, executive branch and other public sector officials to advise the Utah Broadband Center as it develops plans required by the federal infrastructure law. Cox also signed HB-217, which would prevent unsolicited phone calls to cellphones among other changes to state telemarketing laws, plus a comprehensive privacy bill (see 2203240052) by Sen. Kirk Cullimore (R). Cullimore said he hopes his SB-227 “will serve as a model for other states.” TechNet Executive Director-Southwest Dylan Hoffman said Utah’s bill is clear for consumers and businesses, but “with yet another state enacting their own privacy legislation, it only highlights how the need for a federal privacy law has never been greater.”

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission got 194 applications seeking more than $495 million in grants to expand broadband, Gov. Tony Evers (D) said Thursday. The PSC expects to award $100 million this summer, the governor’s office said. The commission’s broadband office posted a list and map of applications. In Colorado, the Broadband Deployment Board postponed application review meetings for the winter grant cycle that were scheduled for March 29 and 31, the Colorado Broadband Office said Wednesday. “This postponement is due to a number of factors, including pending legislation before the Colorado General Assembly and the impact of new federal regulations on the Board’s ability to distribute funding,” said CBO: Staff is “working diligently to establish alternate timelines to ensure there is ample time for all reviews to take place this year.”

Utah will be the fourth state with a comprehensive privacy law. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed SB-227 Thursday. The bill takes effect Dec. 31, 2023. The state law “establishes important new rights for consumers over the collection and use of their personal information, while simultaneously providing businesses with clarity regarding the responsible processing of data,” said Computer & Communications Industry Association State Policy Director Alyssa Doom. Consumer privacy groups urged Cox to reject Utah’s bill (see 2203030059). The Oklahoma House voted 74-15 to pass a comprehensive privacy bill Wednesday. HB-2969 by Rep. Collin Walke (D) is mostly based on the California Consumer Privacy Act, but would require opt-in consent and set a lower monetary threshold for those to whom it would apply, blogged Husch Blackwell privacy attorney David Stauss. It would be enforceable by the state attorney general and take effect Jan. 1. The bill goes to the Senate, where Walke’s privacy bill last year stalled.

Gov. Kate Brown (D) approved an Oregon broadband bill to prepare the state for federal broadband funding, as expected (2203040049). Brown signed HB-4092 Wednesday, so the law will take effect June 22.

The Missouri House Utilities Committee voted 9-0 for a broadband bill (HB-2052) Wednesday that would set up a 12-year task force to evaluate the status of access, affordability and speed, monitor deployment and make recommendations. As during the panel’s Jan. 26 hearing, some members grumbled about the actual usefulness of task forces (see 2201260015).

Democrats questioned why Georgia should pass a social media law before courts decide the fate of enjoined similar laws in Florida and Texas. The House Judiciary Committee mulled SB-393 at a partially virtual House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. The Senate passed the bill to treat social media platforms as common carriers in a 33-21 vote earlier this month (see 2203090044). Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D) said she doesn’t want Georgia to join state litigation. Rep. Matthew Wilson (D) agreed. "If this bill passes, it will be immediately enjoined and litigated. Why should Georgians have to pay the litigation costs?" Rep. Mike Wilensky (D) fears the bill would make it difficult for websites to stop harassment and antisemitic speech, he said. Sponsor Sen. Greg Dolezal (R) said the bill aims to “eliminate viewpoint-based censorship” but wouldn’t stop websites from removing obscenities or harassment. Chairman Chuck Efstration (R) asked if social platforms are truly monopoly common carriers since people can use other platforms that might not restrict what they say. Dolezal said other platforms exist, but they don't have the same scale or ubiquity as Twitter or Facebook. NetChoice Policy Counsel Chris Marchese urged legislators to wait for appeals court rulings this summer on Texas and Florida laws. Georgia’s bill is most like the Texas law; Florida’s law is before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which also covers Georgia, he said. SB-393 is more unconstitutional than the Texas law because, by exempting ISPs, the bill that would classify social websites as common carriers would protect “actual common carriers,” Marchese said. Rep. James Burchett (R) rejected claims that social media aren’t big enough to cause concern. If more than 90% of Americans are on Facebook, the platform seems to be taking on the role of the town square, he said. The Judiciary panel will have another hearing on SB-393, said Efstration. In other states, a South Carolina social media bill (S-551) is scheduled for hearing Thursday in the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry committee. Alaska and Tennessee had hearings on similar bills Tuesday (see 2203220042).

West Virginia Public Service Commission staff wants until Monday to respond to Altice’s March 11 petition seeking reconsideration of the PSC’s Feb. 9 order fining the company, known there as Suddenlink, $2.2 million for service quality failures (see 2203140010), Staff Attorney Brooke Hirst wrote Monday in case 21-0515-CTV-SC-GI. Staff is discussing Altice’s requests with the company, she said. “Staff has been reviewing Suddenlink’s petition and has a number of concerns that it wishes to address in an upcoming response.”

Two Tennessee Republicans raised concerns with a social media bill, as most others in their party supported it at a Tuesday hearing. Voting by voice, the House Commerce Committee cleared HB-2369 to require the Tennessee Public Utility Commission to regulate social media as common carriers (see 2203170025). "It's a bit of a stretch ... to see the commonality between a common carrier as we normally define it and what we're talking about here,” said Rep. Patsy Hazlewood (R). Facebook and Google might be publicly traded companies, “but they are still private companies, and if my memory serves me right, we have said many times before that we can’t be telling private companies what they can do and what they can’t do,” said Rep. Eddie Mannis (R). HB-2369 goes next to the Finance Committee. Also at the hearing, House Commerce members supported the proposed confirmation of Clay Good to the Tennessee PUC. The Senate supported Good and another PUC nominee, Michael Ellis, on 30-0 votes Monday after that chamber’s Commerce panel cleared them last week (see 2203150073).

A Rhode Island privacy bill “would provide little useful information to consumers, and could be harmful to consumers by failing to reveal the extent to which their data is collected, used, and shared,” Consumer Reports Senior Policy Analyst Maureen Mahoney said in written testimony Monday. CR opposed H-7400, which was scheduled for a House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee hearing later Tuesday afternoon. “Limiting the definition of personal information to a limited set of identifiable data would essentially exempt ad tech companies and data brokers from the bill, who typically keep data in pseudonymous form, though such data can be easily reidentified.” Its definition of “disclose” also is too narrow, said Mahoney: it could fail to capture most online data sharing. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association opposed H-7400 as “confusing in terms of what it requires and who needs to be in compliance.”