The Arkansas House voted 94-0 to lift municipal broadband restrictions Thursday. The Senate unanimously supported SB-74 Tuesday (see 2101260049). It goes next to Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), whose office didn’t comment.

AT&T “updated our [Connect America Fund Phase II] submissions for Mississippi in December,” a spokesperson emailed Wednesday evening. Then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai indicated in a Jan. 15 letter to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., that the commission is “reviewing” Mississippi Public Service Commission claims that the carrier sent false information to Universal Service Administrative Co. and will need to “correct” the record by March 1 (see 2101270074). AT&T “will report additional Mississippi locations by March, as per the FCC’s rules, and we are pleased that we met the FCC’s end of year 2020 location requirement,” the spokesperson said now.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon completed installation of wireless connectivity across the District of Columbia’s Metrorail tunnels, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said Wednesday. After 10 years of work, coverage is now available in three final areas -- between Dupont Circle and Maryland's White Flint on the Red Line, from L'Enfant Plaza to the Pentagon on the Yellow Line, and at Virginia's Tysons Corner on the Silver Line, the authority said. “Bringing this project to the finish line gives riders added security and all the conveniences of wireless connectivity,” said WMATA CEO Paul Wiedefeld.

Virginia municipal and electric cooperative broadband bills cleared the Senate Commerce Committee Monday. The panel voted 14-1 for SB-1334 to open an existing broadband pilot program to municipalities and government-owned broadband authorities. The committee voted 12-3 for SB-1413 to make permanent a pilot program allowing electric utilities to petition the Virginia State Corporation Commission to provide broadband to unserved areas.

Advertisers recoiled at requiring opt-in and a private right of action in a proposed North Dakota privacy bill (HB-1330). Different state approaches to privacy “harm both businesses and consumers by creating complex regulation leading to increased compliance costs that are almost certain to be passed on to consumers,” blogged Dan Jaffe, Association of National Advertisers group executive vice president-government relations, Tuesday. Washington state legislators also are debating consent and enforcement provisions (see 2101220043).

Arkansas senators voted 35-0 to lift municipal broadband restrictions, sending the measure Tuesday to the House. SB-74 increases competition for broadband, the “new electricity of the 21st century,” said sponsor Sen. Ricky Hill (R) at the livestreamed floor session. The bill would declare a broadband emergency and immediately lift restrictions for all governments and public education. It would amend state law to say they may "directly or indirectly" provide voice, data, broadband, video or wireless telecom services, including the right to "acquire, construct, furnish, equip, own, operate, sell, convey, lease, rent, let, assign, dispose of, contract for, or otherwise deal in facilities and apparatus for" those services. If a government raises funds through bonds, it must partner with a private entity to provide service. SB-74 “fully supports local control,” emailed Arkansas Municipal League Executive Director Mark Hayes. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance supports the measure, said Community Broadband Networks Initiative Director Christopher Mitchell. Co-sponsor Sen. Breanne Davis (R) pushed on the issue “two years ago, and I think she backed off a bit to give the big cable and telephone companies a little more time to do something to solve the problem,” Mitchell emailed. “They haven't, and now she and many others across the political spectrum believe communities need to be able to invest in themselves to ensure everyone has high-quality Internet access.” Nebraska and Washington state might also reduce muni broadband barriers. The Washington House Community and Economic Development Committee has a hearing Wednesday on HB-1336 by Rep. Drew Hansen (D), who promised last fall to kill all broadband restrictions on cities, sovereign tribes, rural utility districts and other government entities (see 2009180038). Nebraska Sen. Justin Wayne (D) last week introduced LB-656 authorizing municipalities to provide broadband.

A Florida Senate panel supported requiring warrants for police searches of cellphones, other portable communication devices and smart speakers, except in emergencies. The Criminal Justice Committee voted 7-1 for SB-144 at a livestreamed Tuesday hearing. “Our founding fathers could not have imagined a world in which we have Amazon Alexas and cellphones and GPS systems that are on our wrists,” said Vice Chair Jeff Brandes (R). Sen. George Gainer (R) voted no after asking, “Wouldn’t this bill interfere with the apprehension of pretty dangerous people?” Nobody on the committee opposed a bill to allow police to use drones for crowd control and traffic management. SB-44 wouldn’t allow police to use drones to collect evidence of violations, and the panel amended the bill to remove a section that would have allowed drones for monitoring crowds of 50 or more. There appeared to be some confusion about if the bill would allow drones to be used in high-speed chases. Sponsor Sen. Tom Wright (R) said he intended to allow police to send drones after escaping vehicles, but committee Staff Director Lauren Jones said the bill as written wouldn’t allow that.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska seeks comment by Feb. 12 on ATN International acquiring an indirect controlling interest in ACS Group and its telecom subsidiaries, the RCA said Monday. The commission may assess the applications’ completeness by Feb. 10, it said.

Congress should consider a permanent broadband benefit program of $20-$50 per month as an alternative to the Lifeline program and its $9.25 discount, Verizon blogged Friday. Recipients would receive a benefit card and use it like a debit card to buy broadband services and choose plans and equipment.

A Washington state Senate panel cleared a privacy bill 12-1 at a virtual meeting Thursday. Environment, Energy and Technology Committee ranking member Doug Ericksen (R) voted no to Chairman Reuven Carlyle’s (D) SB-5062. Ericksen proposed and withdrew amendments to require opt-in consent for collecting data and to add a private right of action. The committee unanimously adopted a substitute amendment with changes including an exemption for air carriers and the state judicial branch. At a hearing last week, some raised concerns about the bill’s opt-out approach and lack of private right to sue (see 2101140047). Later in the meeting’s hearing phase, cities opposed -- and the wireless industry took no position on -- SB-5110, meant to increase internet access by modifying permitting and other local telecom requirements. CTIA would work with Ericksen to better align the bill with federal wireless infrastructure rules, said Assistant Vice President-State Legislative Affairs Beth Cooley. CTIA also opposes Ericksen’s SB-5112 to require that ISPs give customers free VPN service, because it’s preempted by the Communications Act and unnecessary in a competitive market, said Director-State Legislative Affairs Lisa McCabe.