A Florida bill would establish "a state-funded grant program" within the Office of Broadband to expand broadband access in farming communities. State Sen. Mack Bernard (D) introduced the bill, S-1642, on Friday. It would "fund broadband infrastructure projects" for public-private partnerships, local governments and cooperative organizations to reach underserved farmers.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) issued a proclamation on Friday establishing March 24-28 as Broadband Appreciation Week. The announcement comes as the Wireless ISP Association prepares to host its second annual WISPAmerica conference in Oklahoma City. The proclamation notes that the state's broadband expansion efforts have led to a 28% improvement in access. "Oklahoma recognizes that continued success in fully closing the digital divide relies on using all technologies, including fixed wireless, fiber, and satellite technologies," it said.
A Rhode Island bill would adopt several transparency and consumer protection rules for broadband providers. A coalition of 10 Democratic state senators introduced S-0377 on Wednesday. If adopted, it would require ISPs to file information to the Rhode Island Commerce Corp., provide broadband mapping data annually and introduce recordkeeping requirements for service outages. The bill would also authorize the corporation to collect fees from ISPs to fund the data collection. "The amount of the fee shall be determined by the corporation based on the total cost of administering this program," the bill said.
The Alabama Senate Children and Youth Health Committee voted 8-1 Thursday for a bill requiring phone and tablet manufacturers to turn on internet filters for children by default.
Implementing price controls in the broadband marketplace "creates more problems than it solves," Seth Cooper, Free State Foundation's director-policy studies, wrote in a blog Thursday, urging states to avoid the practice. Citing AT&T's withdrawal from New York and Starlink's petition for an exception to the state's new broadband affordability law, Cooper said the measure "discourages market entry by new providers using innovative technologies." The benefits of below-market rate requirements are "outweighed by the harmful consequences of deterring needed investment and reducing competition," he said: "Other states should instead promote an environment favorable to competition, investment, and innovation, with targeted subsidies as an option for connecting Americans in need."
Verizon and Frontier urged the California Public Utilities Commission not to expand the scope of its proceeding on Verizon's purchase of Frontier. The companies met with aides to Commissioners John Reynolds and Darcie Houck, per a filing Thursday. The companies opposed a coalition's request to consider whether they complied with a "right of first offer" rule (see 2502060056). The request is "superficial" and "extraordinary under any circumstances," the ISPs said.
A Texas bill would provide up to $750 million for broadband infrastructure funding in certain rural counties. State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R) introduced the bill, HB-2964, on Wednesday. It would direct the state comptroller to administer grants to counties with a population of not more than 25,000 and support fiber-to-the-premises projects.
A Washington state bill would establish a right to repair for certain electronic devices. The state Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology will meet Friday to consider the bill, S-5423, which 13 Senate Democrats introduced. The bill notes that the "need for more accessible and affordable repair options is felt more acutely among specific sectors of the population, notably Washington residents in rural areas and people who earn low incomes." It also cites a growing number of states with similar legislation. The bill would "broaden access to the information and tools necessary to repair digital electronic products."
Alaska Communications will deploy fiber to more than 400 tribal households, businesses and anchor institutions in the state, it announced Thursday. Funded by NTIA's tribal broadband connectivity program, the project will include a partnership with the Nenana Native Association and Tanana Chiefs Conference to deploy broadband service to Alaskans living in the Athabascan community of Nenana. The Nenana Native Association will "tap into Tanana Chiefs Conference’s robust workforce development initiatives to offer residents paid on-the-job training opportunities through this project," the group said. Alaska Communications is "honored" to work with both groups, said President-CEO Paul Fenaroli, adding that service is expected to be available in early 2027.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Wednesday a $26 million grant for fiber broadband deployment in Oswego County. The grant will support a fiber-to-the-home network to serve more than 10,000 residences, businesses and community institutions, Hochul said. The county will own the network, which will be made available "for lease" to ISPs on a "non-discriminatory and non-exclusive basis," a news release said.