The inclusion of text messages in Texas' telemarketing law is one of several expanded consumer protections that went into effect Sept. 1, Epstein Becker lawyers John Barry and Lisa Pierce Reisz wrote Monday. Among other changes to the law, it now requires telemarketing businesses to register with the Texas secretary of state each location from which telephone solicitations are made, as well as post a $10,000 security bond and comply with new disclosure requirements for calls and texts, the lawyers said. The changes also introduced penalties for violations, they said, adding that Texas is one of several states to beef up their versions of what is already a complex federal regulatory framework.
Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine (R) said Monday he signed Keith's Law (HB-144), which expands the state's voluntary communication disability database to include any person with a disability. It also expands access to the database through countywide 911 systems, so first responders can get the information.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said Monday that he signed into law S-3132/A-4334, which tightens regulation of secondhand dealers of cellphones and wireless communication devices. Among other things, the legislation bars a secondhand dealer from selling or sharing information about the person who sold them the device without the previous owner's written consent.
CTIA is backing a pair of bills in Massachusetts that would exempt broadband equipment purchases for network expansions and improvements from sales and use taxes. The bills, H-3119 and S-1996, were among an array of telecommunications bills on the agenda for a hearing Friday before the Massachusetts Legislature's Revenue Joint Committee, but there was no testimony about them. In a letter last week to state Sen. James Eldridge (D), the committee's chairman, CTIA said Massachusetts is one of three Northeast states with a tax on broadband equipment investments, while Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania don't impose sales or use taxes, and Delaware and New Hampshire don't impose sales taxes. Current law “puts Massachusetts at a competitive disadvantage,” the group said. An exemption “would ensure that every dollar invested in Massachusetts would go into networks serving Massachusetts citizens.”
Pole owners with poles already slated to be replaced can't charge a new attacher all the costs to do that replacement, the West Virginia Public Service Commission ordered Thursday. The order was in response to petitions by the West Virginia Internet and TV Association and Citynet, which asked for clarification of the commission's August order clarifying its pole attachment rules. The state agency said its rules require that an attacher pay for an "appropriate portion" of the poles they need and not the entire cost of replacements. That's in line with FCC interpretations of its own rules, the PSC said.
The Texas Comptroller's Office said Thursday that it will accept comments on its final BEAD proposal through Wednesday. Under the plan, about 123,000 unserved and underserved locations would be connected by fiber, 66,000 by low earth orbit satellite and 54,000 locations through fixed wireless, it said.
California Public Utilities Commissioner Alice Reynolds is recommending the PUC adopt a new general order for implementing establishment of the state's universal telephone service program. The PUC has revised the previous general order several times, most recently in 2021, but since then has adopted several decisions that necessitate revising the general order again, according to a proposed decision submitted Wednesday by Reynolds, the assigned commissioner in the proceeding.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Tuesday it had signed a long-term agreement with Boingo Wireless for the company to upgrade and expand cellular and Wi-Fi networks across the agency's properties, including airports, crossings, seaport facilities and Port Authority Trans-Hudson rail stations. Under the agreement, those services will continue to be provided free for the public, the Port Authority added.
The Missouri Court of Appeals backed a lower court's decision in favor of streaming service providers that were fighting an attempt by communities to charge them video service provider (VSP) fees. In an opinion Tuesday, Judge Ellen Ribaudo upheld a summary judgment against Creve Coeur, Missouri, and other municipalities that sought VSP fees from DirecTV and Dish Network for their streaming services. While the communities argued that they were owed fees accrued before the state amended its Video Service Provider Act in 2024, Ribaudo said the amended language didn't substantively alter the description of excluded content. The amended definition of "video service" was meant only to clarify the law, and the legislature clearly didn't intend to indicate that streaming content was subject to VSP fees prior to the 2024 change.
A Massachusetts House committee this week introduced HB-4596, which would establish a commission to study a statewide credentialing program for digital navigators. Under the bill, the commission would make recommendations on ways to address digital access inequity issues by recruiting digital navigators who assist community members with individualized support for accessing affordable connectivity, devices and digital skills. The bill was introduced by the Advanced Information Technology, Internet and Cybersecurity Committee and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.