Nearly half the states have received federal approval for volume 1 of their initial plan for the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, NTIA reported Wednesday. NTIA said it OK'd volume 1 for seven more states over the past week: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, New York and Oregon. Approval allows those states to start their challenge processes. NTIA has now approved the first volume of 24 states and Puerto Rico. It OK'd the second volume of just one state, Louisiana.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska will designate Dish Wireless as an eligible telecom carrier (ETC), the agency ruled Tuesday (docket U-23-049). The RCA waived state facilities requirements. Dish sought to provide Lifeline service in areas where underlying provider AT&T has service (see 2310240003). “We are assured that designating DISH as an ETC will increase the Lifeline participation rate of qualified low-income individuals and further the goal of Congress to provide all individuals with affordable access to telecommunications service,” the RCA said.

Multiple bills on 911 and 988 received greenlights from lawmakers on Tuesday. South Dakota legislators adopted a conference committee report on a 911 bill (HB-1092). The House voted 50-10 and the Senate 29-4 for the final bill, which would increase South Dakota’s 911 fee on monthly phone bills to $2, from $1.25 (see 2402290070. The conference committee version requires public safety answering points to file an annual report. The bill next needs a signature from Gov. Kristi Noem (R). Elsewhere, the Kentucky House voted 94-0 to pass HB-528 on how 911 revenue should be spent through July 1, 2025. It will go to the Senate. Also, the Hawaii House unanimously passed HB-2339 to remove the term “enhanced” from state 911 law so that Hawaii can fund future 911 technologies. The similar SB-3028 awaits a Senate vote. In Washington, state lawmakers approved measures related to the 988 mental health hotline. The Senate voted 49-0 to concur with House amendments to SB-6308 to extend implementation timelines, including giving the state health department until Jan. 1, 2026, to develop the 988 technology platform currently due July 1 this year. Senators also voted unanimously to concur with the House on SB-6251, which includes a provision allowing behavioral health administrative service organizations to recommend 988 contact hub contractors within each regional service area. The bills will go next to Gov. Jay Inslee (D).

The News/Media Alliance supported an Illinois bill requiring tech platforms to pay media companies usage fees, ahead of a state Senate Executive Committee hearing planned for Wednesday. The Illinois bill (SB-3591) by state Sen. Steve Stadelman (D) would require big tech companies like Meta and Google to pay news publishers a journalism usage fee to use local news content. The California Assembly passed a similar bill (AB-886), but it stalled last year in the Senate (see 2307060034). “The dominant tech platforms share our publishers’ content, keeping our readers on their platforms and showing them ads, while generating tremendous revenue off of our content with no return to news publications,” said News/Media Alliance CEO Danielle Coffey in written remarks. “This broken marketplace must be addressed through government action.”

The Kentucky House approved a social media bill requiring age verification and setting rules for minors younger than 18. House members voted 94-0 Tuesday for HB-463. Unless a parent consents, a platform would have to limit collection of known minors’ personally identifiable information and restrict minors from making purchases or other financial transactions through the digital service “apart from items protected by the First Amendment,” the bill said. Also, the platform could not share, disclose or sell minors’ personal data, collect their precise geolocation data or show them targeted ads. Among other requirements, the platform would have to try to prevent a known minor’s exposure to obscene content and give supervision tools to parents. The bill will go to the Senate next. In Washington state, the legislature signed off on a bill (SB-5838) establishing an AI task force. The Senate voted 30-19 to concur with House changes and send the final bill to Gov. Jay Inslee (D).

The California Public Utilities Commission delayed a vote on making permanent a state LifeLine foster youth pilot that was planned for Thursday. CPUC staff delayed the item in docket R.20-02-008 to the March 21 meeting, said a Monday hold list. The delay isn’t surprising since the commission last week sought comments by this Friday on a revised proposed decision (see 2402290056). The commission still plans on considering an order Thursday modifying California Advanced Services Fund broadband public housing account and tribal technical assistance program rules (see 2401290059).

The New York Public Service Commission seeks to refresh the record on residential and commercial broadband availability, affordability and adoption. The PSC said Tuesday it scheduled virtual hearings for March 27 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. EDT. Written comments are due April 10 in case 22-M-0313, it said. The PSC specifically seeks comments on locations lacking services with 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds and what limits its availability there. Also, the commission wants to know about locations with download speeds greater than 25 Mbps but less than 100 Mbps, locations with only one ISP, and locations where broadband costs too much for some consumers or businesses "and the size of the cost barriers." The commission sought similar feedback last year (see 2302270027).

Comprehensive privacy legislation in Minnesota advanced in House and Senate committees Tuesday. In the morning, the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously by voice to approve HF-2309 and send it to the State and Local Government Committee. In the afternoon, also on a voice vote, the Senate Commerce Committee approved SF-2915 after agreeing to harmonize its language with HF-2309. State Rep. Steve Elkins (D) said he based the House bill on a Washington state template that never became law there but that a dozen other states have since adopted. States should try to write similar laws in the absence of a federal law, which is unlikely soon, he said. One difference with other state laws is that Minnesota would include a section on automated decision-making, extending rights from the Fair Credit Reporting Act to other areas like employment and auto insurance, Elkins said. Minnesota’s bill lacks a private right of action and Elkins predicted a hefty fiscal note related to enforcement by the state attorney general. However, Elkins said the state AG office told him it can enforce the measure, if enacted. Elkins doesn’t expect any further substantive changes to the bill this session, he said.

Minnesota will grant $53 million to expand broadband to about 8,900 homes and businesses, Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Tuesday. The state broadband office awarded 24 projects to provide at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds in 25 counties, Walz's office said. Minnesota awarded $33.3 million from the state’s border-to-border broadband program and $19.7 million from the low population density program. The state said it will open another $50 million grant round later this month.

Florida could soon join other states that designate mobile phone providers as eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) for the federal Lifeline program. Florida's House voted 113-0 for SB-478, which previously received unanimous Senate support (see 2402210055). If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), the bill would immediately transfer wireless ETC designation powers from the FCC to the Florida Public Service Commission.