Ore. House E-Govt. Committee opens hearings today on bill (HB-298...
Ore. House E-Govt. Committee opens hearings today on bill (HB-2987) that would prohibit local govts. from regulating or restricting mobile phone use. State Rep. Jim Hill (R-Hillsboro), bill’s sponsor, said that if mobile phone use was to be restricted,…
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curbs should be enacted at state level and be same statewide. Municipal govts. say bill is unwarranted preemption of local authority over highway safety. No localities have adopted mobile phone restrictions in Ore., but issue was considered in cities of Salem and Tigard. Meanwhile, Ore. House Fri. decided to return to committee another bill involving local telecom authority -- HB-2680, which would impose restrictions on local govt. entry into telecom business, including requirement for 3-year cost projection before locality could enter business, rates that fully covered costs, no discrimination against competitors and no direct or indirect subsidies from tax revenues. New Ore. bill (HB-2436) would make recordings of calls to 911 confidential matter that’s not public record. There would be exemption for news media, but only after one day had passed since incident. State’s newspapers and broadcasters say they're opposed because 911 tapes are important for exposing weaknesses in emergency response systems.