State legislators have advanced broadband and emergency communications bills. The Virginia Senate Local Government Committee voted 15-0 Monday for HB-445 to direct the state housing department to study local and state policies and laws to spur broadband expansion in new residential and commercial development. The House passed it 99-0 earlier this month. The Oregon House Ways and Means Committee voted 21-1 Saturday for HB-4092, which aims to prepare the state for incoming federal broadband money (see 2202070033). Friday, the Virginia Senate voted 39-0 for HB-1265 to craft a broadband affordability plan, and the Senate voted 81-18 for the similar SB-716 (see 2202150008). In Washington state, the Senate voted 49-0 Friday for HB-1703 to update the state’s emergency communication law for NG-911 and coordinate 911 with the 988 suicide and mental health hotline. The House passed the bill before but must agree to Senate changes (see 2202090065). The Hawaii House Finance Committee voted 14-0 Friday for HB-2397, which would create and fund a state authority to oversee broadband infrastructure. With three committee approvals, it can go to the floor (See 2202180021).

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a notice of inquiry seeking comment on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of the internet’s global routing system, said an FCC release Friday. “Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security warned U.S. organizations at all levels that they could face cyber threats stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” the release said. The draft NOI concerns “the security and integrity of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP),” which is “the routing protocol used to exchange reachability information among independently managed networks on the Internet.” Due to vulnerabilities in BGP, it's possible to deliberately falsify “BGP reachability information” to redirect internet traffic, the release said. “Russian network operators have been suspected of exploiting BGP’s vulnerability to hijacking in the past,” the release said. That can lead to exposure of personal information, theft, extortion, “and state-level espionage,” the release said. The draft NOI also focuses on vulnerabilities in “the transmission of data through email, e-commerce, bank transactions, interconnected Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and 911 calls,” the release said.

The previous 911 director of Washington, D.C., could return despite controversy over a recent audit finding failures at the Office of Unified Communications during her 2015-2021 tenure (see 2110190048). Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said Thursday she will appoint Karima Holmes for a second stint as OUC’s director. The D.C. Council would have to confirm Holmes, who in December 2020 left the office for a private sector job at ShotSpotter in California amid reports of 911 dispatchers sending responders to incorrect addresses and other problems (see 2012220047). Interim Director Cleo Subido will become executive liaison to OUC from the Fire Emergency Management Services agency, the mayor’s office said. D.C. advisory neighborhood commissioners tweeted outrage over the appointment. “A truly mind-blowingly awful decision in every way possible,” wrote ANC 4B01 Commissioner Evan Yeats. ANC 4B06 Commissioner Tiffani Johnson replied, “I am at a loss as to who, what, when, where and why this was even a rationale thought in anyone's mind!!!! This is not making me feel safe!” A spokesperson for D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) referred us to Public Safety Chair Charles Allen (D), “as he has direct oversight of OUC and whether or not the nomination has a hearing and is ultimately voted upon by the Council.” Allen didn’t comment by our deadline.

Regulatory reviews of Apollo's buying Lumen ILEC assets are moving forward in the states. Virginia State Corporation Commission staff plans to recommend approval soon, said Hearing Examiner Ann Berkebile at an evidentiary hearing livestreamed Thursday. The companies expect to finish getting state approvals in the first half of this year, they told the FCC this week.

Dish Network's mobile 5G network is up and running in Las Vegas, albeit with mixed results, and the company will easily meet its June goal of reaching 20% of the U.S. population, executives said Thursday, announcing its 2021 year-end results. "When it works, it works pretty well," Chairman Charlie Ergen said. He said network optimization and working with handset manufacturers to ensure Dish frequencies are in their hardware are still to be done before broad commercial launch, plus fixing of some regulatory issues like Enhanced 911 access.

The FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee approved reports Thursday on real-time text (RTT) on wireline networks and telecommunications relay services on videoconferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex. All FCC meetings have used a video platform since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic almost two years ago.

Public interest and consumer groups proposed that the FCC allocate revenue from future auctions to endow a Digital Equity Foundation to help close the digital divide. The groups announced the initiative on a webcast Wednesday, the day after FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urged that some auction proceeds be used to pay for improved 911 (see 2202220057).

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel asked Congress Tuesday to reauthorize FCC auction authority, set to expire Sept. 30, and allow the agency to use auction funds to pay for improvements to 911. Speaking at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of FirstNet, Rosenworcel said “it’s time to do something similar for 911.” Rosenworcel conceded getting such legislation through Congress won’t be easy.

Vice President Kamala Harris and other Biden administration officials touted the FCC’s $14.2 billion affordable connectivity program Monday as an example of successful implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as the program hit a milestone of enrolling more than 10 million households. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., is holding out hope that Congress could appropriate additional money for the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund and other broadband programs by passing it as part of a balkanized chunk of the scuttled Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package (HR-5376) but told us he believes keeping the connectivity money isn't going to make or break his support.

The Washington state House passed a next-generation 911 bill. Members voted 94-1 Wednesday to send HB-1703 to the Senate. The bill would update the state’s emergency communication law for NG-911 and coordinate 911 with the 988 suicide and mental health hotline (see 2201280026).