Maine could designate wireless companies as eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) for the federal Lifeline program under a bill a legislative panel approved Thursday. The Technology Committee voted 10-0 to advance LD-2193 by Sen. Matthew Harrington (R). Like some other states, Maine relies on the FCC to designate mobile phone providers as ETCs. The Florida Senate passed a similar measure Wednesday (see 2402210055).

Kansas House members unanimously supported ending a recurring state 911 audit. The House voted 120-0 Thursday to pass HB-2483, which would eliminate a five-year audit by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit that checks if public safety answering points are appropriately using 911 funding, whether they have enough money, and the status of 911 service implementation (see 2401180065). It will go to the Senate.

NTIA cleared three more states, plus Puerto Rico, to start their challenge process in the broadband, equity, access and deployment program, the agency said in a weekly update to its progress dashboard. NTIA approved BEAD initial plan volume 1 for Nebraska, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico, making 15 states and territories total, the agency said Wednesday. NTIA approved the second volume for only one state, Louisiana, two months ago (see 2312150047).

The Virginia House Commerce Committee cleared a Senate-passed bill on pole attachments (SB-713) in a 22-0 vote Tuesday. The committee earlier this month approved a similar House bill (HB-800) regulating how public utilities handle attachment requests (see 2402090062). SB-713 can now go to the full House. HB-800 is currently in the Senate Commerce Committee.

The Kentucky House approved a comprehensive privacy bill (HB-15) on a 92-0 vote Tuesday. It will go to the Senate. Also, that day the Colorado House voted 56-3 to send the Senate a bill amending the Colorado Privacy Act to add protections for biometric identifiers and data (HB-1130). In other consumer protection votes, the Maine Senate on Wednesday agreed with the House on passing HB-1932, which would require prorating of broadband bills after a user cancels service. The bill will go to Gov. Janet Mills (D). In Oregon, the Senate voted 25-5 for a consumer electronics right-to-repair bill (SB-1596). It will go to the House.

Businesses sought California Supreme Court review of a state appeals court’s Feb. 9 decision that the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) may start enforcing California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) regulations. The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) on Tuesday filed a petition for review (case S283856). California’s 3rd District Court of Appeal had vacated the June decision of the California Superior Court in Sacramento, which had granted a CalChamber petition and stayed any CPPA rules for 12 months after they become final (see 2402090078). At the California Supreme Court, CalChamber argued that the appeals court ruling means businesses will have only one month to prepare for enforcement. “The Agency failed to adopt regulations necessary to implement the initiative by the statutory deadline, and it continues to repudiate the linked requirement … to abstain from commencing regulatory and civil enforcement until one year after issuance of those regulations,” the CalChamber petition said. “The Agency’s conduct threatens substantial harm to thousands of California businesses and the consumers they serve.” CalChamber CEO Jennifer Barrera said she sees “no way the voters envisioned a scenario where enforcement of regulations would begin without those regulations being in place for a reasonable period of time that affords both businesses and consumers with adequate time to prepare and comply.” The state privacy agency declined to comment Wednesday.

Don’t put AT&T’s petition for carrier of last resort (COLR) relief on ice, the company urged the California Public Utilities Commission in an ex-parte filing released Tuesday. AT&T officials met virtually Feb. 14 with aides to CPUC Commissioners John Reynolds and Darcie Houck, the carrier said in docket A.23-03-003. AT&T cited a CPUC email to parties indicating that the agency would postpone many deadlines in the proceeding to give more time to discover if any companies are interested in replacing AT&T as the COLR. AT&T argued that doing so “would be a waste of time and resources.” It “would be an about-face from the earlier decisions to allow the development of the evidentiary record and the process for notifying potential replacement COLRs to proceed in parallel,” the carrier said. Plus, there's no legal requirement for the commission to identify a replacement COLR or hold an auction to find one, it said. Even if the rules “were read to require a reverse auction, the Commission has express authority under Public Utilities Code [Section] 1708 to waive the requirement, which would be appropriate given that an auction would be futile.” Because the CPUC “has no established process to conduct an auction, it would have to develop the rules for an auction from scratch,” AT&T added. Plus, it’s “highly unlikely that any carriers would participate,” said the carrier. “With the increase in competition and the sharp decline in support from the High Cost Fund B over the past decade, it is even more unlikely that a carrier would be interested in becoming a COLR today.”

The Utah Public Service Commission officially noted an AT&T restructuring that will merge affiliate AT&T Corp. into the newly formed AT&T Enterprises. “The PSC acknowledges the Restructuring … and amends the [certificate of public convenience and necessity] to reflect the new business name,” said a PSC order Tuesday. AT&T sought South Carolina approval for the restructuring earlier this month (see 2402090041).

An anti-robocalls bill made it through the Missouri House Innovation Committee on an 8-0 vote Tuesday. The approved bill (HB-2603) would add business subscribers to the no-call list and make caller ID spoofing a class E felony offense. Spoofed call recipients could recover $5,000 per call in damages under the bill.

Kansas could save money and address short staffing at 911 centers by passing SB-487, said sponsor Sen. Mike Peterson (R) at a Senate Utilities Committee hearing Tuesday. The bill would allow counties to contract with each other to consolidate public safety answering point services and authorize 911 revenue to be distributed to the combined PSAPs. Also, it would require counties to keep geographic information system data up to date. It would take effect July 1. The bill also received support at the hearing from Sen. Marci Francisco (D) and Ed Klumpp, a lobbyist for Kansas sheriff, police chief and peace officer associations.