New York state plans broadband expansion through a municipal infrastructure program with $228.2 million in federal funding from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Monday. The state already connected more than 3,000 homes upstate under the program through pilot projects with the New York Power Authority, Hochul said.

Nebraska must close the “spigot” and stop using state USF to support old telecom networks that provide internet speeds slower than 100 Mbps symmetrical, said Sen. Bruce Bostelman (R) at the legislature’s Telecommunications Committee hearing Monday. Bostelman’s LB-1031 would end Nebraska USF support for maintaining slower networks starting July 1, 2025. In 2021, Nebraska made 100 Mbps symmetrical the standard for new projects but continued allowing funding for operating existing networks with at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds, said Bostelman: Three years later, there’s no reason to give telcos more time to replace copper networks with fiber. LB-1031 would slow Consolidated Communications' broadband deployment by funding only areas with 100% fiber, said Brian Thompson, vice president-external relations. The panel continued to hear testimony on LB-1031 after our deadline. Earlier in the hearing, Nebraska Broadband Director Patrick Haggerty told state lawmakers that his office hopes to hear “at least a verbal approval” from NTIA this week on volume one of its initial proposal for the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. The state broadband office resubmitted volume 1 Friday with changes recommended by NTIA, said Haggerty: Nebraska can begin its challenge process once NTIA clears that volume.

T-Mobile completed $200 million worth of network upgrades in West Virginia after buying Sprint in 2020 and Shentel Wireless in 2021, T-Mobile and Gov. Jim Justice (R) said Friday. “Part of T-Mobile’s promise when we merged with Sprint was to build a more connected country leveraging 5G,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, T-Mobile technology president. “Our work in West Virginia with Governor Justice is a testament to what’s possible when time, resources and teamwork are invested in the places previously underserved."

South Carolina's Senate supported clarifying that satellite TV and streaming video fall outside cable franchise fees. The Senate on Thursday sent the House an amended H-3782 after approving it 43-0 Wednesday. The House passed the bill in March but now must concur with Senate changes.

Florida could extend dollar broadband attachments through 2028. The state’s House Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity Subcommittee voted 13-0 Friday to clear HB-1147, paving the way for a full Commerce Committee vote. Since July 2021, ISPs could pay $1 a year per wireline attachment per pole to bring broadband to unserved or underserved areas in municipal electric utility service territories. The promotional rate is set to expire July 1. The Senate Commerce Committee plans Tuesday to consider the similar SB-1218, which cleared the Regulated Industries Committee in a 6-0 vote on Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Assembly voted 96-1 to approve a next-generation 911 bill Thursday. AB-356 would provide grants that support NG-911 costs. A committee cleared the bill earlier in the week (see 2401170068). The Senate is its next destination.

NetChoice slammed a proposed TikTok ban in Virginia immediately after Del. Jay Leftwich (R) introduced the measure Friday. HB-1468 would require TikTok to verify users’ ages and prohibit minors from visiting its social media platform. Under the bill, Virginia's attorney general could seek a $7,500 civil penalty for each violation, plus $7,500 per day that the violation continues. "This proposal is unconstitutional as we’ve already seen in other states that have tried this,” such as Montana, said NetChoice General Counsel Carl Szabo. He added, “Virginia representatives must reject this approach that, if passed, would ban Virginians from getting access to news, harm Virginia businesses and creators, require more data collection, and disconnect Virginians from online speech.”

West Virginia could fund relay services for 20 years even if it reduced the monthly telecom relay service (TRS) fee on customer bills to zero, West Virginia Public Service Commission staff said Thursday. Staff recommended reducing the charge of 5 cents in docket 23-0756-T-P. “Monthly minutes of use of TRS has steadily declined in West Virginia, and although the amount collected monthly to fund TRTS has also decreased, the proceeds continue to exceed the amount needed to maintain TRS at its current level,” said staff: “This imbalance causes a continued increase in the TRS Escrow Account balance,” which hit nearly $1.6 million last July 31.

Passing a data broker registration bill would help Washington state better understand the industry's scope, Rep. Shelley Kloba (D) said Friday as the state’s House Consumer Protection Committee heard testimony on Kloba’s HB-2277 during a livestreamed hearing. The bill would require data brokers to register with the state. Submitted information would appear on a public website. Brokers are selling data that people generate during daily activities online, through connected devices and while driving cars, said Kloba: It often happens without a person’s permission. The committee also mulled multiple AI bills, including HB-1934, which would establish an AI task force and HB-1951, which attempts to prevent algorithmic discrimination. "Sometimes we have to put guardrails around things to protect people's civil liberties and to keep people safe,” said HB-1934 sponsor Rep. Travis Couture (R). Rep. Clyde Shavers (D) said his HB-1951 is an “incremental first step to make sure that the use of artificial intelligence helps, not harms us."

A pair of South Carolina age-verification bills will advance to the full House Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to meet Tuesday. During a livestreamed meeting Thursday, the Constitutional Laws Subcommittee unanimously greenlit H-4700, which would require parental consent for minors younger than 18 to access social media, and H-3424, meant to keep kids off pornographic websites. The committee approved amendments to both bills by voice vote. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Weston Newton (R) revised his social media bill to be more like Louisiana’s similar law, he said. It was originally akin to a law in Utah, which faces an industry lawsuit (see 2312180054). The amended H-4700 requires social websites make commercially reasonable efforts to verify the age of South Carolina account holders and restrict anyone younger than 18 from having accounts unless they get parental consent. While tasking the state attorney general with enforcement, the amended bill continues to include a private right of action like Utah's does, said Newton. And the bill now requires online safety education for grades six through 12. Legislators should provide more support for parents and try to curb social media companies’ incentives to exploit children, said Casey Mock, Center for Humane Technology chief policy and public affairs officer. Social media companies made $11 billion in revenue from U.S. kids 18 and younger in 2022, including $2 billion from those younger than 12, said Mock, citing a Jan. 2 Harvard University study. Lawmakers should require “safety by default,” a design approach that is light touch, technology agnostic and content neutral, said Mock. Don’t be scared by tech industry "pressure tactics,” said Mock, referring to a NetChoice official mentioning litigation against other states at the South Carolina panel’s meeting last week (see 2401110044). An amendment to H-3424 tightens the definition of a pornographic website and gives sites three ways to verify age: a digitized ID card, an independent third-party verification service or “any commercially reasonable method that can verify age,” said sponsor Rep. Travis Moore (R): It also removes language directing the AG to develop rules. Wednesday in Utah, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-0 to approve a bill (SB-89) delaying seven months to Oct. 1 the effective date of the state’s litigated social media law.