Hawaii senators voted 24-0 to approve a broadband bill (HB-2359) establishing a digital equity grant program. The House passed the bill almost unanimously last month (see 2403040071) but now must agree with the Senate’s changes. The Senate Energy Committee amended the bill to remove wireless community networks from the list of eligible projects, insert an effective date of Jan. 1, 2060, “to encourage further discussion,” and make technical changes, the committee said March 20.

An Alabama bill aiming to protect kids’ online neared the finish line after it passed the state Senate unanimously on Tuesday. HB-164 would require a reasonable age-verification method to restrict those younger than 18 from accessing pornographic websites (see 2403210064). The House approved the bill Feb. 29 but must vote again to align it with a short Senate amendment, including a clarification about the appropriate venue for the bill’s private right of action. A day earlier, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed a similar bill requiring age verification for adult websites (HB-2586). “The legislation goes against settled case law,” wrote Hobbs. “Children’s online safety is a pressing issue for parents and the state,” but the answer “should be bipartisan and work within the bounds of the First Amendment, which this bill does not.” In addition, the Democratic governor vetoed the Republican-controlled legislature’s HB-2793, which would have required school policies restricting social media access and limiting cellphone usage. “This legislation establishes an unnecessary mandate for an issue schools are already addressing,” said Hobbs.

A Tennessee bill restricting children on social media passed the Senate in a 30-0 vote Monday. HB-1891, which Gov. Bill Lee (R) supports, would require parental consent for kids younger than 18 on social networks (see 2403120065). The bill would take effect Jan. 1. Meanwhile, a Tennessee panel will study a broadband reporting bill during the summer, the state legislature’s House Commerce Committee decided by voice vote Tuesday. HB-2910 would have required state and federal broadband grant recipients to list unserved areas where they plan to deploy high-speed internet using government cash, and to say when they aim to have service in those places. The Senate unanimously passed the cross-filed SB-2907 last week (see 2404020060). But at the House Commerce Committee’s final meeting of this session, Chair Kevin Vaughan (R) said more time is needed to develop how the reporting will work. “We all need to know more about broadband throughout the state,” so legislators will work “diligently” on the bill over the summer, he said. Lawmakers should move quickly because of "disparities and inequities that exist among the haves and have-nots,” said Rep. Goffrey Hardaway (D). The legislator said he distrusts summer studies, which sometimes are used to “dismiss a bill altogether.” The chair assured Hardaway that won’t be the case here. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) supports continued work on the bill, Vaughan said. "We're off to do a real summer study."

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) asked state legislators Monday to edit bills approved last month about pole attachments and children’s privacy. In addition, Youngkin signed SB-487 to order a study on public bodies’ use of AI. On the pole attachments measure (HB-800/SB-713), the governor recommended allowing the Virginia State Corporation Commission to extend the bill’s deadline to resolve pole disputes by at most 60 days. The underlying bill requires the commission to resolve pole access disputes, including on allocating rearrangement costs, within 90 days, and all other pole attachment matters within 120 days. On the children’s privacy bill (HB-707/SB-361), the governor recommended an amendment that would add language related to the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). “Controllers and processors that comply with the verifiable parental consent requirements of [COPPA] shall be deemed compliant with any obligation to obtain parental consent under this chapter if a child is under the age of 13,” it said. “For a child 13 years of age or older, controllers and processors shall be deemed compliant with any obligation to obtain parental consent for this chapter if the controller or processor adheres to methods in regulations promulgated by the [FTC] for compliance with obtaining consent from a child's parent or legal guardian in accordance with the federal [COPPA].” Also, Youngkin proposed adding a line saying that controllers may not “process sensitive data concerning a known child 13 years of age or older, without processing such data pursuant to the applicable provisions for children under the age of 13 in accordance with” COPPA.

California next month could approve challenge process rules for NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. The California Public Utilities Commission said it may vote at its May 9 meeting on a proposed decision, released Friday in docket R.23-02-016, to revise and adopt volume one of the state’s initial proposal for BEAD. The CPUC proposed opening its challenge process “no later than 60 calendar days” after issuing a final decision and “no sooner” than seven days after publishing eligible locations, the draft said. A 30-day challenge process would be followed by a 14-day evidentiary review period. After that, the CPUC would notify ISPs about challenges and give them 30 days to rebut. Then CPUC staff would get 30 days to make a final determination to the commission. Staff would publish final eligible locations not later than 60 days after the NTIA approves those final determinations. The agency attached a cured version of volume one. Comments on the proposed decision are due April 25. Meanwhile, Washington state's BEAD challenge process is delayed due to a glitch with the challenge portal, the state's Commerce Department said Monday. It was scheduled to open Monday. "Part of the registration process requires the challenge portal to send a confirmation email to someone registering to participate," the department said. "Due to a technical problem with the system, some individuals had trouble receiving these messages." The department said it will announce a new opening date when it resolves the problem.

Bills on privacy, kids’ online safety and an AI-based 311 phone service neared the Maryland governor’s desk last week. On Thursday, the House voted 103-33 for a comprehensive privacy bill (SB-541). Meanwhile, the Senate is nearing a vote on the cross-filed House version (HB-567). Maryland’s privacy proposal earlier received generally positive reviews from consumer privacy groups (see 2402140053). Also Thursday, the House voted 136-0 for SB-571, a kids’ safety bill modeled after the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act. The Senate passed the similar House version (HB-603) Wednesday (see 2404040030). In addition, the House supported similar bills to direct the Department of Information Technology to evaluate the feasibility of an AI-based, statewide 311 system and possibly launch a pilot. The House voted 126-9 to approve the Senate-passed SB-1068. And it voted 132-5 for HB-1141 after amending it to match the Senate bill. A House committee heard testimony on SB-1068 last week (see 2403270041). Gov. Wes Moore (D) would need to sign the bills if they pass the Maryland General Assembly.

The Minnesota Senate’s comprehensive privacy bill will return to the Commerce Committee, the State and Local Government Committee decided on a voice vote Friday. It will be considered as part of a Commerce omnibus bill, SF-2915 sponsor Sen. Bonnie Westlin (D) told the committee at a livestreamed hearing. The committee amended the bill to keep it in harmony with the House version (HF-2309). Sen. Mark Koran (R) struggles with knowing how businesses can implement the Minnesota measure, he said. Westlin responded that a federal law would be best, but in the meantime, Minnesota aims to take the best parts of bills from Connecticut, Oregon, Colorado and Texas.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D) directed the Kentucky Public Service Commission to make emergency rules within 45 days that streamline pole attachments for broadband providers. Beshear signed a resolution Thursday that the legislature had passed last month (see 2403250037). Also, Beshear signed a consumer privacy bill (HB-15) that Consumer Reports called weak (see 2403280057). It makes Kentucky the 16th state with a comprehensive privacy law. And Beshear signed a bill (HB-528) on how 911 revenue should be spent through July 1, 2025.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission seeks applications for $33 million in digital connectivity and navigators grants, the PSC said Friday. The state program is funded by the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund. Nonprofits, libraries, higher education institutions, ISPs and local and tribal governments are eligible to apply by June 19.

A Maryland kids’ safety bill modeled after the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act passed the state Senate. It voted 46-0 in favor of HB-603 with an amendment delaying the effective date to Oct. 1, 2025. The House passed the bill last month with a 2024 effective date, so it must vote again to concur with the Senate change. Education advocates supported and tech groups opposed the bill at a February hearing (see 2402140053). Also Wednesday, the Senate voted 44-3 to support a 25 cent surcharge to fund the 988 mental health hotline. The bill (HB-933) earlier passed the House, which Tuesday also approved the identical Senate version (see 2404030049). The 988 bills will go to Gov. Wes Moore (D).