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).

A bill requiring content filters when minors use tablets and smartphones passed the Utah legislature Wednesday. The Senate concurred with the House, which approved an amended version of SB-104 on Tuesday (see 2402280046). The bill needs approval from Gov. Spencer Cox (R). Meanwhile, Thursday the Missouri House passed and sent the Senate a bill (HB-2057) clarifying that streaming content is exempted from paying video franchise fees. Municipalities earlier raised concerns about the proposal (see 2402270055)

The Kansas House Telecom Committee considered if counties should be covered by broadband infrastructure rules like those that apply to cities. The panel heard support for HB-2806 from ISPs at a livestreamed meeting Thursday. HB-2806 would allow telecom, broadband and video service providers to "construct, maintain and operate poles, conduit, cable, switches” and other facilities in counties’ rights of way (ROW). It would require counties to apply ROW access and permit processes “in a nondiscriminatory and competitively neutral manner to all similarly situated providers." That would include fees, required documents for permit applications, permitting time frames and waiver options, the bill said. "No county shall create, enact or erect any discriminatory, unreasonable condition, requirement or barrier for entry into or use of the public right-of-way by a provider." Counties could assess fees for construction permits, excavation and inspection only for reimbursing "the county's reasonable, actual and verifiable costs of managing the public right-of-way,” it said. The bill would also let counties assess repair costs for provider-caused ROW damage and require providers to furnish performance bonds. "We all want to be treated the same [and] fairly,” said Cox Director-Government Affairs Megan Bottenberg. But some Kansas communities have offered benefits to some providers and not others, she said. The “equity-based bill” stops excessive county taxes on broadband while giving explicit authority to collect repair costs for damages and require bonds, said IdeaTek co-founder Daniel Friesen. A rural county once tried to charge his company an excessive $20,000 in permit fees, he said. Requiring counties to explain how their fees are based on cost could reduce litigation, he said. AT&T Kansas State Director Darin Miller supported the bill in written testimony. Kansas Association of Counties General Counsel Jay Hall wrote that the bill's rules for counties would differ slightly from those for cities. "This is particularly important given that HB 2806 would take this issue out of local hands and make it a statewide standard,” Hall said. “If the standard is statewide, should the requirements for cities and counties match?"

The California Public Utilities Commission sought comment by March 8 on a revised proposed decision to establish a permanent California LifeLine foster youth program. Replies are due March 13, Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Wang said in an email ruling Thursday. The CPUC postponed voting on the item at its Feb. 15 meeting (see 2402150067). Among other changes, the revised proposal clarifies that non-minors in extended foster care could participate in the program until they turn 21. Responding to concerns that no service provider may participate in the program after the current pilot expires, the CPUC said it would encourage but not require providers to offer free devices and chargers. “We will also remove requirements for service providers to configure devices,” it said. It also won’t require providers to provide special plans in certain circumstances.

The South Dakota Senate voted 30-4 Wednesday in favor of an amended 911 bill that increases South Dakota’s emergency service fee on monthly phone bills to $2, from $1.25. HB-1092 failed to pass in an earlier Senate vote (see 2402150042). The House previously passed the bill but must vote again to agree with Senate changes related to 911 oversight.

The NARUC board accepted a telecom resolution about keeping phone number exhaustion at bay during its Washington meeting Wednesday. NARUC will ask the FCC to update “guidance on how states should bring cases of telephone number resource mismanagement or suspected robocalling using rented telephone numbers” through audits under Section 52.15(k) of the Telecom Act, said the final resolution from Telecom Committee Chair Tim Schram. The resolution drew no opposition in the committee Monday (see 2402260071).

Arizona Corporation Commission staff warned Tuesday that the Arizona Universal Service Fund (AUSF) could exhaust its money unless the commission increases contribution rates. Commissioners could vote March 12 on a staff-proposed order to raise fees. AUSF administrator Solix told commission staff “that although there were enough funds collected to fund the AUSF for January, February and March 2024, Solix has calculated that it's anticipated, by the end of April, the AUSF fund balance would be depleted and that the fund will not be able to pay the Commission-approved and contractual obligations to [Frontier Communications] and Solix, respectively, beginning in May 2024,” said a Tuesday (docket RT-00000H-97-0137). For basic local exchange and wireless service providers that interconnect with the public switched network, staff recommended increasing the monthly surcharge to 3.4 cents per access line, up from 2 cents, and to 34 cents per interconnecting trunk line, up from 20 cents. For intrastate toll service providers, Arizona commission staff recommended increasing the monthly surcharge to 45% of revenue, up from 34.1%. The new rates would start April 1 and would result in a $200,000 fund balance by year-end, a “reasonable level” that would “potentially eliminate the need to revise the AUSF surcharge rates again for 2024,” staff said. Arizona commissioners declined raising AUSF contribution rates in December (see 2312050032). Frontier is the only company receiving AUSF high-cost support.

The Utah House voted 64-0 on Wednesday for a bill that requires content filters when minors use tablets and smartphones. Eleven members were absent or didn’t vote. Because the House amended the bill, SB-104 must return to the Senate. Utah senators previously voted 25-3 in favor of the measure (see 2402070074). Meanwhile, lawmakers in other states advanced privacy and social media legislation this week. The West Virginia House voted 91-0 Wednesday for a consumer privacy bill (HB-5338) and sent it to the Senate. On Tuesday, the Georgia Senate voted 37-15 for another comprehensive privacy bill (SB-473), sending the measure to the House. On Monday, the Georgia Senate voted 51-1 for a measure requiring education for children about social media and the internet (SB-351). On Tuesday in Virginia, the House Commerce Committee voted 21-0 to advance a kids’ privacy bill (SB-361) that would add children-specific protections to the state’s comprehensive consumer privacy law. The Senate previously passed the bill 40-0 (see 2402120072). Also that day, the Missouri House Innovation Committee cleared HB-2141, which would prohibit state employees from using TikTok (see 2401030014). In Florida, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved SB-1448 Tuesday, requiring platforms that foreign adversaries own to disclose how they curate, personalize and target content and how they address misinformation and harmful content. A House version of the bill advanced last week (see 2402220051).

Alabama awarded $148.3 million for last-mile broadband through the U.S. Treasury Capital Projects Fund, the governor's office said Tuesday. The state awarded 66 grants to 16 internet service providers across 48 counties, it said. Grant winners included AT&T ($7 million), Charter Communications ($44.8 million), Mediacom ($22.8 million) and Central Alabama Electric Cooperative ($22 million). The last-mile awards follow $188.5 million in middle-mile grants announced by Gov. Kay Ivey (R) earlier this month (see 2402050059).

Wireless carrier facilities in Hawaii would need eight hours of emergency backup power under a bill the state's House Commerce Committee cleared Tuesday. The panel voted 10-0 for HB-2710. The Technology Committee earlier passed it 8-0. The full House could vote next.