New York awarded $140 million from the state’s ConnectAll municipal infrastructure grant program to expand broadband, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Wednesday. The governor’s office said the awarded public-private partnerships will extend broadband by more than 1,200 miles, using a mix of fiber infrastructure and wireless hubs. Also, the state launched an interactive ConnectAll dashboard to track projects.

A bill updating Pennsylvania’s 911 law passed the legislature and headed to the governor’s desk this week. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 48-0, approving HB-1304; the House voted 180-21 to concur with the other chamber’s amendments. HB-1304 seeks to modernize the law by setting rules for next-generation 911 and requiring implementation plans, said a Senate fiscal note. Among other changes, the bill would create an “interim distribution formula” for disbursing funding, while directing the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to create a permanent mechanism.

Michel Singer Nelson spoke at the NARUC conference Tuesday solely in her capacity as a Telecom Committee member for the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (see 2411120066).

Stronger state laws are needed to combat a rising trend of copper thieves damaging telecom infrastructure, panelists said Tuesday at NARUC’s conference in Anaheim, California. On Wednesday, the NARUC board passed resolutions on phone number conservation, the Universal Service Fund and utility coordination on broadband deployment. The Telecom Committee cleared those measures Monday (see 2411120014). Copper prices are up and therefore so is theft, said Dan Gonzalez, Charter Communications group vice president-state regulatory affairs. The cable company’s lines don’t contain copper, which is common in traditional phone networks, but thieves don’t know the difference, and they damage Charter infrastructure when seeking copper, he said. Networks are exposed and easily accessible, making theft a low-risk, high-reward activity, he said. In addition, many state laws don’t classify the networks as protected critical infrastructure or impose adequate penalties, said Gonzalez. Charter sees fewer incidents in states with broader definitions of critical infrastructure and stronger penalties, including Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas, he said. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is receiving more copper theft reports than previously, said Richard Mitchem, CISA supervisory protective security adviser. Mitchem agreed that identifying the networks as critical infrastructure is a good idea because that would mean stronger repercussions for damage. Todd Foreman, Recycled Materials Association law enforcement outreach director, said raising awareness about the issue is important because law enforcement resources are limited and not all police are looking closely for sales of stolen copper. He agreed that increasing penalties would help discourage theft.

The Rhode Island Superior Court dismissed Cox Communications' complaint about the state's implementation of NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program (see 2409240026). Congress "stripped state courts of jurisdiction" on BEAD through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the court determined. The "plain language of the statute is unmistakably mandatory," wrote Associate Justice Brian Stern in last week's decision, noting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has exclusive jurisdiction. Cox "attempts to thread the needle between the approvals of the initial proposal and the final proposal by the Assistant Secretary, hoping to find a brief window where this court possesses subject-matter jurisdiction," Stern wrote, "however, no such window exists." In a footnote, the court also said the allegations in Cox's complaint "give this court pause and, assuming the allegations in the complaint are true ... these concerns would mean that funds intended to provide broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved areas are instead going to be used in areas that already have sufficient broadband infrastructure, and no challenge to that plan was possible."

Maine's Isle Au Haut now has a submarine cable connecting it to Deer Isle, which has terrestrial connections to the mainland, submarine cable consultancy Pioneer Consulting said Tuesday. It said NTIA and Maine funded part of the project.

The Washington State Broadband Office wants applications by Jan. 31 for $1.2 billion in funding the state received through NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, the agency said Tuesday (see 2405090062). Broadband Office Director Aaron Wheeler said the agency will "offer $300 million in state matching funds to local governments and tribes that apply."

Some industry groups raised concerns about proposed amendments to Colorado privacy rules concerning children and biometric data. The Colorado attorney general’s office held a rulemaking hearing Thursday to gather public comments on proposed draft amendments to the Colorado Privacy Act Rules (see 2409160036). The draft amendments, published Sept. 13, provide updated language to align with children’s and biometric privacy bills the Colorado legislature approved this year and create a process for issuing opinion letters and interpretive guidance. The proposed rules include definitions of “child” versus “minor,” as well as requirements for notifying consumers before collecting or processing biometric identifiers. Employers must also gain consent from employees before collecting and processing biometric identifiers. State Privacy and Security Coalition lobbyist Andrew Kingman said separate obligations for biometric data and biometric identifiers could be confusing. “Our comments really focus on how to simplify this so that consumers have a single notice or are directed to a single notice where all of that information can be easily comprehended,” he said during the hearing. Additionally, Kingman suggested deleting the reference to “minors” as a part of the children’s privacy policy, saying it is “impractical” to distinguish between a 22-year-old and a 17-year-old. Kingman also asked for modifications to the consent requirement in the employment context, noting that the interaction between an employer and employee differs from the interaction between consumers and controllers. Phoebe Blessing, manager of public policy with the Colorado Hospital Association, also recommended an exception to the new biometric collection amendments on employees, such as when employers use employees' biometric information for authentication purposes. “For example, many of our hospitals require the use of fingerprints to access medication cabinets and dispense drugs,” Blessing said. She also recommended an exception for when healthcare providers use a patient’s biometric information in relation to the treatment process. Several other citizens spoke at the hearing about concerns for privacy but lacked specific input regarding the proposed amendments. The AG office also posted written comments that were due later Thursday night.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission sought additional feedback on Nebraska Universal Service Fund (NUSF) distribution (docket NUSF-139). Commissioners voted 5-0 at their livestreamed session Tuesday to approve an order seeking comments by Nov. 25 and schedule a hearing for Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. CST. The commission hopes to “further refine” a proposed mechanism for distributing high-cost support next year, the order said. The PSC considers the 2025 support mechanism “transitional” as it moves through remaining issues in the docket. “The Commission emphasizes that more work will need to be done to transition the high-cost distribution support mechanism to account for federal and state infrastructure programs, the sustainability of broadband networks, and to ensure that the affordability goals of the NUSF Act will be met.” Under the PSC proposal, released for comment, the commission would keep providing high-cost support to wireline ILECs offering 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds in areas without wireline competitors providing service at that speed. It would also continue supporting ILECs offering 25/3 Mbps speeds, provided it’s in a location that’s “subject to a federally enforceable commitment to provide service at speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps” and that lacks wireline competitors with 25/3 Mbps speeds.

The Vermont Public Utility Commission should close a probe into Consolidated Communications billing, the company said Tuesday. Responding to a customer complaint, the Vermont PUC on Sept. 30 opened an investigation into whether Consolidated billing systems and practices violated PUC rules (docket 24-0322-CC). The customer had a bundled phone and internet package so it can’t have violated Commission Rule 7.620(F), which “expressly excludes ‘a bundled package of services,’” said Consolidated. Additionally, the complaint didn’t say what payments weren’t appropriated applied, the telco argued. Concerning charges for international calls, Consolidated said it “billed the customer … consistent with the terms of the customer’s service.” And, Consolidated noted, it properly charged two early termination fees.