New York state Sen. Joseph Griffo (R) on Monday introduced SB-8562, which would mandate that the suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline play calming music and regular "comfort" messages for callers on hold. The bill was referred to the Senate Rules Committee. An Assembly version of the legislation, AB-5583, was introduced in February by Rep. Marianne Buttenschon (D).
D.C. Council Health Committee Chairwoman Christina Henderson (I) on Monday introduced the 988 Lifeline Support and Sustainability Establishment Amendment Act (B-26-0462), which would create a dedicated funding source for Washington's 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and its behavioral health crisis response system. Henderson said the proposed monthly fee on landline, wireless, prepaid and VoIP services would generate an estimated $12.5 million annually for Lifeline and Community Response Team activities.
North Carolina has launched a $50 million broadband recovery grant program to assist ISPs in rebuilding and repairing infrastructure destroyed by 2024's Hurricane Helene. "With these investments, western North Carolinians can stay connected and more easily get back on their feet -- whether seeking resources, applying for a job online, starting a business, or going to school," Gov. Josh Stein (D) said Monday. The governor's office said Stein signed legislation in August allocating funds to help restore internet access in western North Carolina communities that saw significant damage from the hurricane. The deadline for applications is Nov. 24.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) on Friday signed into law a statewide ban on mobile phone use in schools, though he also criticized the legislation.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said Friday that it's rolling out a pilot program to provide free phone calls to people incarcerated in correctional facilities. Starting Monday, people in custody will get 775 free minutes monthly for domestic calls, it said. The minutes don't roll over, and the pilot is set to run through June.
Michigan state Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D) introduced SB-630 on Thursday to extend the state's prevailing wage requirements to publicly funded broadband deployment projects. The legislation was referred to the Senate Labor Committee. The requirements wouldn't cover American Rescue Plan Act or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act projects.
New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Cryan (D) on Monday introduced S-4739, which would criminalize a private citizen recording a telephone call or other conversation unless all parties consent. It was referred to the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. According to the bill, New Jersey currently requires consent of only one party in the conversation for recording.
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts should block the state’s lawsuit against Meta and its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, said TechFreedom in an amicus brief filed Tuesday (docket SJC-13747). The state’s lawsuit targeting “addictive” features of the social media platforms violates Section 230 of the Communications Act, TechFreedom said. “The supposedly ‘addictive’ features the Commonwealth challenges are nothing more than publishing decisions: the cadence of content delivery (autoplay), the quantity of content delivered (infinite scroll), and the choice of what content to highlight (notifications),” said the filing. Those features are “classic editorial decisions” about displaying third-party material and “fall squarely” within Section 230’s protections for platforms from litigation over content posted by users, the group said.
Pacific Bell is appealing the California Public Utility Commission's decision to award The Utility Reform Network (TURN) $270,859 in expenses that the group accrued as intervenor in fighting Pacific Bell's unsuccessful application to get relief from its carrier of last resort obligation. In an application for rehearing posted Tuesday, the company said TURN's activities didn't substantially contribute to the dismissal decision, and the award pays TURN for ex parte presentation work, even though CPUC precedent bars compensation for such work.
The Pennsylvania Senate Communications and Technology Committee voted 6-5 on Tuesday to adopt SB-491, which would eliminate a variety of state regulations on wireline phone service. Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R), who introduced the bill, said wireline companies represent fewer than 10% of voice subscriptions in the state but are at a competitive disadvantage to other types of providers due to a strict, archaic legacy regulatory framework.