Verizon and Frontier Communications executives warned the leaders of the California Public Utilities Commission last week that the proposed decision approving the companies' merger (see 2512150008) on the condition of delivering 100/20 Mbps broadband to particularly remote areas could be a problem.

The FCC's revoking California's waiver from using the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) and federal eligibility determination will ultimately hurt the 1.77 million Californians receiving federal Lifeline support, the California Public Utilities Commission said. In a docket 11-42 filing Tuesday, the CPUC said the FCC's move also will hurt the 39 Lifeline providers designated as eligible telecommunications carriers serving those Californians. The FCC in November stopped the state from doing its own Lifeline subscriber verifications (see 2511200031).

Missouri would update its rules on unwanted telephone solicitation to include a ban on call spoofing, under HB-2546, a prefiled bill submitted Monday by state Rep. Mitch Boggs (R). The bill would also expand the state attorney general's database of phone numbers for those who don't want to receive telephone solicitations to include business subscribers, not just residential subscribers.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to opine on whether, under the state's expanded telemarketing law, businesses that send marketing texts to consumers who agree to the messages are subject to state registration and disclosure requirements and potential liability under those provisions.

NTIA has approved North Carolina's BEAD final proposal, Gov. Josh Stein (D) said Monday. While the state was allocated $1.53 billion, its final proposal is for more than $300 million in deployment spending, he said. BEAD-funded projects should launch in mid-2026, he said, adding that $670 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for broadband will bring connectivity to more than 250,000 locations by the end of next year.

CTIA is urging the leaders of the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee to oppose SB-2318, which would require the state's ISPs to offer an internet plan for low-income residents at $15 a month. In a letter last week to committee Chairman Michael Rodrigues (D) and Vice Chair Joanne Comerford (D), CTIA said there's clear evidence "that artificial price mandates and state-level rate regulation, while well-intended, ultimately increase prices and harm consumers." Such a pricing mandate also puts the state's BEAD funding "at serious risk," the group said, as NTIA has barred states from setting the price for BEAD subgrantees’ low-cost service options.

California's final BEAD proposal, submitted Friday to NTIA, reaches more than 340,000 eligible locations -- more than any other state's plan -- said Maria Ellis, director of broadband initiatives for the California Public Utilities Commission, at the agency's meeting Thursday. CPUC voted unanimously to approve the submission, and Ellis said deployment work could start in the second half of 2026.

Eighty-six school districts across New Jersey will get grants of $1,000 to $176,625 to institute phone-free school programs in Grades 6-12, the state Education Department said Thursday. Under the bell-to-bell policy, students' phones and other internet-enabled devices are stored when they arrive at school, and access isn't allowed during the school day. Districts taking part in the Phone-Free Schools Grant Program receive money to implement storage systems such as lockers, lock pouches or check-in cabinets.

New Hampshire state Rep. Mary Hakken-Phillips (D) prefiled a bill Wednesday that would restrict the use of enhanced 911 system funds to expenditures that directly support 911 call delivery and dispatch operations. HB-1777 is to be formally introduced in January and referred to the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee.

Surf Internet's fiber-optic network now reaches 250,000 homes across Indiana, Illinois and Michigan and is on track to add more than 75,000 locations in 2025, the Indiana-based company said Tuesday. Surf said it plans to accelerate construction in 2026 using state and federal broadband grants, including BEAD, while also expanding into new markets.