A Washington bill would establish a competitive grant and loan program aimed at expanding broadband access in unserved areas throughout the state. SB-5188 was prefiled by a group of Democratic lawmakers. It proposes to make funding available for the acquisition, installation and construction of middle mile and last mile infrastructure.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced Tuesday the formation of a Digital Infrastructure Group within the state's Department of Information Technology. Effective immediately, it will "coordinate the efficient deployment of wired and wireless communications and digital information technology infrastructure," said an executive order. “We will transform from a reactive and uncoordinated system to one that optimizes taxpayer dollars and even gives the state opportunities to boost revenue from major ISPs and cellular carriers,” said Department of Information Technology Secretary Katie Savage.
Bicameral Democratic Colorado lawmakers proposed certain changes to local government permitting rules for wireless facilities in a prefiled bill. HB-1056 would require local governments to approve applications for new wireless facilities or substantial changes to existing ones if an applicant meets certain requirements. The measure would also bar local governments from requiring applicants to file a new application for additional permits on existing equipment if the applicant meets certain requirements. The bill's prime sponsors are Sens. Dylan Roberts and Nick Hinrichsen and Reps. Meghan Lukens and Jennifer Bacon.
Maryland lawmakers will consider a bill Thursday at 2 p.m. that proposes incarcerated people could make free phone calls. SB-56, introduced by State Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D), would prohibit correctional facilities and providers from charging incarcerated individuals or third-party callers for phone calls. State correctional facilities would also be required to pay providers' costs.
A Virginia bill would establish restrictions on arrangements between ISPs and owners of multifamily dwelling units (MDU). State Rep. Debra Gardner (D) prefiled the bill, HB-1709, last week, which would bar MDU owners from "accepting payment from a provider of broadband service for granting such provider mere access to the landlord's tenants or giving such tenants mere access to such service." The bill would also bar landlords from requiring tenants to pay for service "unless the landlord itself is the provider of the service." Gardner's measure comes after the FCC adopted rules in 2022 barring revenue sharing and exclusivity agreements between ISPs and MDU owners.
T-Mobile didn’t expect Washington state’s data breach lawsuit Monday, the carrier said in a statement. In a complaint at the state’s King County Superior Court, Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) alleged that T-Mobile knew for years about cybersecurity vulnerabilities that led to a 2021 data breach (see 2501060046). A T-Mobile spokesperson acknowledged, “We have had multiple conversations about this incident from 2021 with the Washington AG's office over the last several years and even reached out in late November to continue discussions." As such, "The office’s decision to file a lawsuit … came as a surprise,” the spokesperson added. “While we disagree with their approach and the filing’s claims, we are open to further dialogue and welcome the opportunity to resolve this issue, as we have already done with the FCC.” T-Mobile “fundamentally transformed” its cybersecurity approach during the last four years, the spokesperson said.
State legislatures returning to session in the coming weeks will likely consider "a torrent" of net neutrality bills in the wake of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals striking down the FCC's net neutrality rules (see 2501020028), Access Partnership's Jacob Hafey wrote Monday. The court decision doesn't impact state-level net neutrality laws, such as in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, he added.
T-Mobile knew for years about cybersecurity vulnerabilities that led to a 2021 data breach, alleged Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) in a lawsuit against the wireless carrier Monday. The AG sought damages and injunctive relief under the state’s consumer protection and data breach notification laws in the state’s King County Superior Court (case 25-2-00308-6). Ferguson said that T-Mobile failed to adequately secure sensitive personal data of about 2 million Washington residents. Also, the company didn’t sufficiently inform customers about the breach, downplaying its severity and not disclosing everything that was compromised, he alleged. Customers received brief text messages about the breach “that omitted critical and legally required information,” said the AG office: And some customers didn’t receive information about social security numbers being exposed. “This significant data breach was entirely avoidable,” Ferguson said. “T-Mobile had years to fix key vulnerabilities in its cybersecurity systems -- and it failed.” The 2021 data breach exposes personal information of about 79 million customers nationwide.
A New York bill would help facilitate wireless broadband deployment and ease some requirements for providers at the local level. State Sen. Daniel Stec (R) prefiled the bill for the next session. The bill, SB-603, would exempt certain modifications of existing facilities from the need for municipal zoning or permitting.
Robocalls were the main consumer complaint in North Carolina in 2024, said Attorney General Josh Stein (D). Stein's office released a report Monday of complaints his office received (see 2412270024). "Not only are robocalls annoying, but they are also used to scam people out of their hard-earned money and personal information," the report said. After recent efforts at the state and federal level to combat unwanted robocalls, the office has seen "a general downward trend" in complaints.