A Pennsylvania bill meant to exorcise “ghost poles” will go to the full Senate after clearing the Senate Consumer Protection Committee Thursday. The House last year unanimously passed HB-1619, which would require the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to make rules quickening replacement of damaged poles and eliminating double-pole situations. A double pole occurs when a replacement pole is built alongside an older "ghost pole" that isn’t immediately removed (see 2311010015). The bill by state Rep. Alec Ryncavage (R) is the furthest along of six Republican telecom accountability bills that were introduced together this session (see 2310030036). “These abandoned utility poles are an eyesore, but more importantly they are a safety threat to our communities and to our line workers,” Ryncavage said during the webcast hearing. With billions of dollars coming into the state for broadband, it’s critical that Pennsylvania’s poles can support communications infrastructure, he added.

A Pennsylvania Senate panel delayed the effective date of a comprehensive privacy bill to one year after it’s enacted. That would be six months later than proposed in a previous version of HB-1201, which unanimously cleared the Communications Committee with the amendment at a livestreamed hearing Wednesday. The change would “give businesses enough time to make the appropriate process changes to comply,” said Chair Tracy Pennycuick (R). “Additionally, the amendment clarifies that a private right of action is not open in conjunction with any other law.” The bill had already said that nothing in it “shall be construed as providing the basis for a private right of action for a violation of the provisions of this act,” with enforcement to be conducted solely by the Pennsylvania attorney general. Sponsor Rep. Ed Neilson (D) said Pennsylvania should pass the “bipartisan” measure to join nearly 20 other states with privacy bills. "We are falling behind the other states that are doing it all across the country." The bill will likely need approval from the Appropriations Committee before it can go to the Senate floor, a Pennycuick spokesperson said. The House voted 139-62 last March to pass HB-1201 (see 2403190009). Microsoft supported Pennsylvania’s privacy bill last year (see 2309060060).

Michigan opened a $13 million digital inclusion grant program, the Michigan High Speed Internet Office said Wednesday. Michigan's Inclusive Training, Technology and Equity Network is funded by NTIA’s State Digital Equity Capacity Grant and seeks promoting equitable access to broadband and digital skills training, the office said. The state is seeking applications to be regional resource hubs and host sites for regional digital coordinators, it said.

Alabama awarded $53.5 million to continue middle-mile broadband construction, announced Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Tuesday. “This project will add approximately 1,095 miles of high-speed middle-mile broadband” reaching 24 Alabama counties, Ivey said. The grant was awarded to the Alabama Fiber network and comes from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds (see 2402050059).

Nevada is the first state to get a digital equity capacity grant, NTIA said Wednesday. The state will get more than $9 million to implement its digital equity plan, which included proposals for digital navigators, community Wi-Fi and training. NTIA said it plans announcing more awards “on a rolling basis.”

Several governors put their signature on public safety and social media state bills in recent days. On Monday, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed a bill (HB-7087) to quicken business responses to state-declared disasters by updating tax and business registration rules. CTIA supported the bill in February, testifying that “wireless providers need the flexibility to bring out-of-state employees into the state temporarily without having to subject those employees to state or local tax withholding or payments or subject them to state licensing or registration requirements during a declared disaster.” It takes effect immediately. On Friday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) signed HB-2339, which would remove the term “enhanced” from state 911 law so that Hawaii can fund future emergency number technologies. The bill becomes effective Monday. Last week, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) supported barring social media companies from collecting data on residents younger than 18 for targeted ads. Landry signed HB-577, which earlier passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously (see 2405230039).

The Nebraska Public Service Commission might update speed test rules. Commissioners voted 5-0 at their Tuesday meeting for an order to seek comments by July 23 and hold a hearing Aug. 6 at 1:30 p.m. CST (docket NUSF-133). The Nebraska PSC required annual broadband speed tests by Nebraska Universal Service Fund participants in a November 2022 order. Now, about 18 months later, the commission wants to review that requirement “to determine if any changes or improvements should be made,” it said.

Frontier Communications will try harder to meet Connecticut service-quality standards, the carrier said Tuesday at the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURA). Frontier filed exceptions to a PURA draft decision finding that the carrier violated two of five service quality metrics (see 2406180045). The carrier "plans to implement new processes and expanded and targeted resources to improve the two metrics at issue,” and will expand reports it gives PURA. However, pointing to a 74% reduction in its Connecticut landline count since 2015, Frontier argued that service quality metrics haven’t kept up with market changes. The Department of Public Utility Control, as PURA was then known, proposed updating the service standards for that reason back in 2009, Frontier said. "Assessing fines and penalties against Frontier for on average barely missing two metrics that require close to perfection for the last 10 years when these regulations were to be revised and replaced would be unfair and anticompetitive,” the carrier said. The Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel, which originally called for the PURA investigation, applauded the regulator’s draft decision. It “reads as the first action in a sequence of actions leading the largest telephone company in Connecticut ... back into full compliance with regulations established in support of state goals,” wrote OCC: An expected follow-up PURA proceeding to set penalties "will be the action which ensures that the vital communication service Frontier provides to Connecticut is reliable and meets the basic needs of its customers."

An administrative law judge recommended a $200,000 fine for T-Mobile’s MetroPCS in a California Public Utilities Commission investigation related to a state universal service fund surcharges dispute. The CPUC’s enforcement division sought a $10 million fine because the carrier insufficiently responded to a Sept. 27, 2021, data request (see 2209230032). MetroPCS’ response violated the state utilities code and a commission rule, and the carrier should pay the maximum $100,000 allowed for each offense, ALJ Robert Mason said. But the judge disagreed with the enforcement division that the company’s conduct was a continuing offense, which would allow for higher penalties. A pending and related court case didn’t excuse the carrier from responding fully, said Mason, who also dismissed the carrier's other objections. “A penalty is … needed to punish the degree of MetroPCS’ wrongdoing and ensure the protection of the public interest,” he said. Parties in docket I.22-04-005 have until July 25 to appeal the ALJ decision, or it will become final. T-Mobile didn’t comment.

California and France privacy regulators will collaborate under a declaration the California Privacy Protection Agency announced Tuesday. CPPA Executive Director Ashkan Soltani and Marie-Laure Denis, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL) chair, signed the pact in Paris. “We’re excited to collaborate with the CNIL and pave the way for information sharing on areas of mutual interest,” Soltani said in a CPPA news release. Denis said, “We are looking forward to working together on common research projects, to exchanging good practices or to sharing experiences. Data circulation on a global scale requires such an approach to go beyond the national and European framework.”