Comprehensive privacy legislation in Minnesota advanced in House and Senate committees Tuesday. In the morning, the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously by voice to approve HF-2309 and send it to the State and Local Government Committee. In the afternoon, also on a voice vote, the Senate Commerce Committee approved SF-2915 after agreeing to harmonize its language with HF-2309. State Rep. Steve Elkins (D) said he based the House bill on a Washington state template that never became law there but that a dozen other states have since adopted. States should try to write similar laws in the absence of a federal law, which is unlikely soon, he said. One difference with other state laws is that Minnesota would include a section on automated decision-making, extending rights from the Fair Credit Reporting Act to other areas like employment and auto insurance, Elkins said. Minnesota’s bill lacks a private right of action and Elkins predicted a hefty fiscal note related to enforcement by the state attorney general. However, Elkins said the state AG office told him it can enforce the measure, if enacted. Elkins doesn’t expect any further substantive changes to the bill this session, he said.

The New York Public Service Commission seeks to refresh the record on residential and commercial broadband availability, affordability and adoption. The PSC said Tuesday it scheduled virtual hearings for March 27 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. EDT. Written comments are due April 10 in case 22-M-0313, it said. The PSC specifically seeks comments on locations lacking services with 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds and what limits its availability there. Also, the commission wants to know about locations with download speeds greater than 25 Mbps but less than 100 Mbps, locations with only one ISP, and locations where broadband costs too much for some consumers or businesses "and the size of the cost barriers." The commission sought similar feedback last year (see 2302270027).

Minnesota will grant $53 million to expand broadband to about 8,900 homes and businesses, Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Tuesday. The state broadband office awarded 24 projects to provide at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds in 25 counties, Walz's office said. Minnesota awarded $33.3 million from the state’s border-to-border broadband program and $19.7 million from the low population density program. The state said it will open another $50 million grant round later this month.

Bipartisan support seems possible for a Minnesota bill that includes limits on social media, the House Commerce Committee’s lead Republican Rep. Tim O’Driscoll said during a livestreamed hearing Monday. The committee voted unanimously by voice to move the bill (HF-4400) to the Judiciary Committee. The measure, from Chair Zack Stephenson (D), would require more private settings by default on social media networks and for platforms to prioritize content that users prefer and perceive as high quality over posts that gain high engagement from other users. Also, the bill would set limits on how much users, especially new users, can engage with others on social media. Rep. Harry Niska (R) said he would support the measure, though he worries about the "constitutional thicket that we're stepping into." Minnesota should avoid regulating speech, said Niska, adding it might be good to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve NetChoice lawsuits against Texas and Florida social media laws. Also, Niska disagreed with the bill's inclusion of a private right of action; he favors leaving enforcement solely to the state attorney general. Stephenson aims to keep HF-4400 away from regulating content to avoid constitutional problems, he replied. Also, Stephenson conceded to having “mixed feelings” about the bill allowing private lawsuits and is open to talking more about that. The Chamber of Progress opposes the bill, which "would produce a worse online experience for residents of Minnesota and almost certainly fail in court,” said Robert Singleton, the tech industry group’s director-policy and public affairs for the western U.S. Among other concerns, imposing daily limits on user activity would restrict speech in violation of the First Amendment, the lobbyist said. The Computer & Communications Industry Association raised First Amendment and other concerns with HF-4400 in written testimony.

The Utah Public Service Commission set an April 5 technical conference on possibly tightening requirements for seeking state USF support. The Utah PSC said it opened docket 24-999-10 in response to Commissioner John Harvey’s request that the commission get more evidence showing that costs claimed by a telecom company to receive support are reasonable. Harvey suggested that this includes a showing that the utility has applied for federal funds that could offset broadband costs and that any broadband speed the company provides above the federal minimum “has been done without incurring additional costs … or that such extra costs are either insignificant (compared to the total costs of the project), or that the extra costs can be justified by other public policy considerations," the PSC said. Also, Harvey wants to see utilities show their network design “is the least cost design” and that they chose the lesser cost "option of self-construction versus contracted construction,” it said.

Virginia lawmakers approved bills that add children-specific protections to the state’s comprehensive consumer privacy law. The Senate voted 39-0 Monday for HB-707, which passed the House in a 98-0 vote on Feb. 6. On Friday, the House voted 97-0 Friday to approve the identical Senate bill, SB-361, which previously passed the Senate in a 40-0 vote on Feb. 9. The legislation requires a Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signature.

The Hawaii House voted almost unanimously to approve a bill (HB-2359) establishing a digital equity grant program (see 2402050024). Only Rep. Elijah Pierick (R) voted no on Friday. The House sent the bill to the Senate.

The Michigan Public Service Commission renewed rules Friday for telecom providers that cease providing basic local exchange services (BLES). Its three commissioners supported the PSC order (docket U-21368), which makes minor changes and adds rules on what information BLES providers must include in discontinuance notices. Without the order, the rules would have expired March 21 (see 2307070049).

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed a proposed social media ban for kids younger than 16 on Friday. DeSantis earlier raised concerns about HB-1 lacking an option for parents to give their children consent to have social media accounts (see 2402220051). But legislators declined to provide a parental option to override the proposed state ban. He vetoed the measure because lawmakers are "about to produce a different, superior bill," the governor wrote to House Speaker Paul Renner (R). "Protecting children from harms associated with social media is important, as is supporting parents' rights and maintaining the ability of adults to engage in anonymous speech. I anticipate the new bill will recognize these priorities and will be signed into law soon." Renner, who had made the bill a priority, and HB-1 sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland (R) didn’t comment by our deadline. Meanwhile, the Florida House voted 109-0 Friday for HB-1541, which would require social media platforms that foreign adversaries own to disclose how they curate, personalize and target content and how they treat misinformation and harmful content. The House sent the bill to the Senate, which has a similar measure (SB-1448).

The Indiana Senate unanimously supported a bill that would require the state broadband office to be inclusive when awarding grants under NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment program. Senators voted 47-0 Thursday for HB-1277 to create an Indiana Code chapter governing BEAD administration. The office may not exclude cooperatives, nonprofits, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utilities, public utility districts or local governments, the bill said. The House on Jan. 23 voted 94-0 to pass the bill but now must concur with Senate tweaks. Meanwhile, the Indiana House on Thursday voted 92-0 for a state 911 bill (SB-232) and returned it to the Senate with amendments on Friday. The Senate previously voted 49-0 on Jan. 29 for the bill (see 2401310070, which would require originating service providers to connect to state 911 using an industry standard or functional equivalent, update certain 911 terminology, increase penalties for giving false information, and exempt information about 911 system security from public disclosure.