A New York state Senate data privacy bill cleared the Consumer Protection Committee for the second straight year during a livestreamed hearing Tuesday. In a voice vote, the panel supported advancing S-365 to the Internet and Technology Committee. The comprehensive measure by Consumer Protection Chair Kevin Thomas (D) passed the full Senate last year (see 2306090052). However, because the Assembly didn’t take it up in 2023, the bill returned to the Senate on Jan. 3. “It’s a bill that is necessary, especially since AI is generating so much right now,” said Thomas. “Data privacy goes first, and then the guardrails need to be set on AI.” Later in the morning, the Senate Telecom Committee unanimously cleared a cable prorating bill by Sen. Leroy Comrie (D), sending it to the Senate floor. S-493 would allow cable customers to seek a prorated refund if their service was disconnected or downgraded. The legislation received the committee’s approval last year (see 2305160033) but returned to the panel Jan. 3 because the full Senate didn’t vote on it in 2023. On Monday, the Telecom Committee sent a bill (S-1203) to the floor that would prohibit broadband terminations and disconnections during state disaster emergencies.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission could decide by July 8 on Lumen’s Jan. 8 petition seeking competitive classification for all its CenturyLink ILECs around the state. Under a procedural schedule ordered Monday (docket UT-240029), the Washington UTC will receive Lumen direct testimony Feb. 16, staff and public counsel response testimony April 3 and the company’s rebuttal May 10. The commission will hold a virtual public comment hearing May 16, an evidentiary hearing May 24 and a second virtual public comment hearing June 6. Then post-hearing briefs will be due June 12. CenturyLink has operated for nearly a decade under an alternative form of regulation in Washington state, the commission noted in a Jan. 25 order setting the matter for adjudication: “We must explore whether the Company retains a significant captive customer base or is truly subject to effective competition.”

Alabama awarded nearly $188.5 million for middle-mile broadband projects, said Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Monday. The governor’s office said 12 ISPs will install more than 4,000 miles of projects statewide, using federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. “These middle-mile projects will be extremely beneficial to our anchor institutions, and it puts us in a desirable situation where the ‘last mile’ projects that will supply broadband service to businesses and households are more economical and attainable,” said Ivey. Awards included $128.8 million for Alabama Fiber Network, $21.5 million for Farmers Telecom and $7.3 million for Charter Communications.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission set a Feb. 16 prehearing conference in its review of LTD Broadband’s eligible telecom carrier designation. State telecom and electric industry groups asked the Minnesota PUC to revoke the certificate that LTD needs to obtain Rural Digital Opportunities Fund support (see 2311160039). The videoconference starts at 2 p.m. CST, the PUC ordered Monday (docket 22-221).

A Hawaii digital equity bill received a green light from the House Technology Committee Friday. On an 8-0 vote, it approved HB-2359, which seeks “any remaining obstacles to digital equity” across Hawaii. In addition, it would establish a grant program for digital equity projects. Two other House committees must consider the bill before it goes to the floor.

A Washington state Senate fiscal committee cleared bills on AI and the 988 mental health hotline in unanimous voice votes during a livestreamed meeting Monday. The Ways and Means committee approved SB-5838, with an amendment by sponsor Sen. Joe Nguyen (D) establishing an AI task force. In addition, legislators cleared SB-6308 that extends timelines for implementing the 988 system, including providing the state health department 18 additional months to develop the technology platform. The bill would extend that deadline to Jan. 1, 2026, from July 1 this year. Also, the panel approved SB-6251, which includes a provision allowing behavioral health administrative service organizations to recommend 988 contact hub contractors within each regional service area. The panel approved an amendment by sponsor Sen. Manka Dhingra (D) with various tweaks to SB-6251. The bills will go next to the Rules Committee.

Florida will award $223 million for broadband using $135 million in state and $86 million in federal funding, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday. Florida’s broadband opportunity program will support 54 projects in 33 counties, bringing high-speed internet to about 27,000 unserved residential, educational, agricultural, business and community locations, the governor’s office said. Awards through the federally funded multipurpose facility program will support 29 community infrastructure projects, including health clinics, schools and workforce development programs across 18 counties, it said.

South Carolina age-verification bills won House approval by wide margins Wednesday. The House voted 105-1 to pass H-4700, which would require parental consent for minors younger than 18 to access social media. The House voted 104-1 to pass H-3424, meant to keep kids off pornographic websites. The Judiciary Committee last week approved the bills (see 2401230062), which go next to the Senate. Rep. Justin Bamberg (D) voted no on both bills. In Utah the same day, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-0 to clear a bill (SB-104) that would require tablet and smartphone makers to automatically turn on content filters for minors.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) sent more than a dozen violation notices under the state’s comprehensive consumer privacy law in the six months since it took effect July 1, 2023, the AG office reported Thursday. Businesses get 60 days to cure violations upon receiving a notice under the state law. “We have focused on key aspects of the law related to privacy policies, sensitive data and teens’ data,” said the report. “While many companies have taken prompt steps to address issues flagged in cure notices … all matters have resulted in additional follow-up.” The AG office issued 10 cure notices about privacy policy deficiencies, including missing, inadequate or confusing disclosures and missing, burdensome or broken opt-out mechanisms, it said. “Several companies updated privacy policies and/or consumer rights mechanisms quickly upon receiving cure notices.” But some didn’t fully alleviate the AG’s concerns, or their privacy disclosures raised new questions about compliance with other parts of the law, it said. “This process is an iterative one and only time will tell which companies fully satisfy our concerns and which matters will ultimately require more formal enforcement action.” The office received more than 30 consumer complaints, it said. “Many involved consumers’ attempts to exercise new data rights under the CTDPA, and primarily, the ‘right to delete.’” However, about one-third of the complaints involved data or entities exempted by the state privacy law, the AG office said. “A handful of others were exempt for other reasons, including under the CTDPA’s exemption for ‘publicly available information.’” The AG office recommended that legislators revise the law to scale back the number of entity-level exemptions, including one for nonprofits. Also, switch to a data-level rather than entity-level exemption for the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, it said. Among its other recommendations: Enact a “one-stop-shop” deletion mechanism like California’s 2023 Delete Act (see 2309150063); add a right to know specific third parties that receive data from covered businesses; expand biometric data to include data capable of being linked to a consumer like in Oregon’s law; and clarify whether the legislature intended to ban targeted advertising to teens regardless of consent, and review possibly erroneous language on publicly available information.

South Dakota House members voted 60-9 Wednesday for a bill to increase a state 911 fee on monthly phone bllls to $2, from $1.25. HB-1092 cleared a tax committee last week (see 2401240011).