Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said Tuesday that she signed a pair of bills limiting cellphone and wireless device use on school grounds during class time. "We know that when students put their phones down, their grades go up," Whitmer said, adding that SB-495 and HB-4141 "will help keep kids focused in the classroom and break their growing dependency on screens and social media."

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wants California to explain its use of next-generation 911 funds and provide a “concrete timeline” for NG911, he said Tuesday in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), whom Carr excoriated for a “lack of leadership and mismanagement” that undermines public safety and trust. “The integrity of our 911 systems is of utmost importance and cannot be further jeopardized by California’s misuse and mismanagement,” the letter said. Carr also recently went after Newsom -- a vocal critic of President Donald Trump -- over findings of Lifeline fraud in the state (see 2601290036).

Verizon appealed to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a ruling last month by a lower court upholding a decision by the Board of Zoning Appeals in Elkhart, Indiana, that blocked the carrier’s application to build a 135-foot monopole there. Verizon filed a notice of appeal Friday of the decision by the U.S. District Court for Northern Indiana (see 2601120034).

Starting Jan. 1, broadband providers in Illinois would be required to offer a low-price option for low-income customers, under SB-3612, introduced last week by Sen. Rachel Ventura (D). The bill would direct the state Commerce Commission to set up rules including minimum service speeds and the maximum price for the low-income broadband option.

Hawaii entities managing federally funded broadband efforts urged state legislators this week to note President Donald Trump’s December executive order that directed NTIA to potentially curtail non-deployment broadband funding from BEAD for states that have AI laws that the administration says are overly burdensome (see 2602050024). The Hawaii House Technology Committee on Friday posted that and other written testimony on an AI regulation bill (HB-2500).

AVX Networks said Wednesday it's getting $37.5 million in federal funding through the California Public Utilities Commission's Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant program for submarine cable connectivity between Catalina Island and the mainland. It said the connectivity, originating in Huntington Beach, Orange County, will bring broadband access to roughly 4,000 year-round residents.

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal is pushing for the New York mayor and the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission to end its contract with Curb, the taxi TV network, for carrying Newsmax in its lineup. "Any news source that defends [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] shouldn't be in New York City taxicabs," Hoylman-Sigal said in a video on social media last week.

A state bill introduced last week would give the Rhode Island Commerce Corp. a one-year deadline to submit to lawmakers a plan for creating a state broadband oversight authority. Under SB-2345, which was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee, the Commerce Corp. plan would include responsibilities of an oversight authority, such as broadband planning, deployment coordination, consumer concerns and equitable access. In addition, existing state law that prohibits regulation of the rates, terms or conditions of VoIP or IP-enabled service would be "repealed and shall have no force or effect."

The Indiana Broadband Office said Thursday that with its BEAD awards approved by the federal government, it expects to begin subgrant agreements within the next month.

The Connecticut Attorney General's Office has reached a settlement with Charter Communications that puts conditions on the company's purchase of Cox Communications and Cox's Connecticut operations. AG William Tong said Wednesday that the deal would leave parts of the state with only newly combined Charter for cable TV and broadband service, and the settlement "requires a series of commitments regarding services, costs and local preserve to ensure that Connecticut consumers and communities remain a priority." The condition terms next need approval from the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.