Policy

Federal officials say a new centralized portal will improve transparency and prevent fraud in the E-rate program. Critics argue it could complicate procurement and disproportionately burden small and rural applicants.

The Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026 limits how agencies collect and retain resident data and expands privacy requirements in procurement, honing in on third-party contractors.

Local governments have an extra year to meet the designated technical requirements for digital accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act — but they face liability risks even today.

After school officials and lawmakers raised questions about the cost and feasibility of requiring all New York public school districts to switch to electric buses, the deadline may be extended from 2027 to 2032.

California is supplementing its traditional process of navigating public comments with AI, to do a better job of gathering actionable insight. Its model may inform similar engagement efforts by other governments.

Among nine bills signed this month by Gov. Brian Kemp were a ban on personal electronic devices in high schools, building on last year's K-8 ban, and a policy to deploy over 1,300 full-time literacy coaches for K-3.

After two years of task forces, collapsed deals and attempted overhauls, Colorado lawmakers are about to rewrite — and scale back — the state’s beleaguered AI regulations.

Whether the autonomous vehicle market develops as shared robotaxi fleets or individually owned cars could have large impacts on cities and land use. It may not be immediate, but planning is vital, experts said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill to regulate large-scale data centers in Florida, promising consumers would not bear the burden of the AI boom with higher electric bills or more scarce water resources.

Plus, NYC has announced $2 million in funding to expand Internet, New Mexico launched a new broadband mapping tool, a bicameral bill could increase participation in the Lifeline program, and more.

The state transportation department will build an interstate flex lane for use when traffic is congested. A bill headed to the governor’s desk would enable its monitoring to catch drivers who break the rules.

A new Federal Emergency Management Agency transparency requirement may help counties gain visibility into funding requests, via a dashboard. Regular deadlines are expected to drive tracking.

Despite Gov. Ned Lamont's support and the bill's passage in the state House of Representatives, legislation to ban cellphones from schools met opposition from senators who favored leaving the issue to local districts.

A pair of recently signed laws have given Kansas the ability to offer shared IT and cyber services to local governments, schools, hospitals and others, while also requiring new cyber assessments for state agencies.

State Senate Bill 5 would create AI oversight committees, adopt workforce development programs and try to keep AI from discriminating in the hiring process. Gov. Ned Lamont is expected to sign it.

A proposed law, the Ratepayer and Resource Protection Act, would require data centers to pay the full cost of electricity and other resources they purchase, and safeguard the public against rate hikes.

The Panel for Educational Policy, which some have considered a rubber stamp for each mayor's agenda, is evolving away from mayoral control toward a model of "co-governance" with the mayor's schools chief.

State lawmakers voted down a bill that would have created exceptions to Colorado’s right-to-repair laws, which currently enable individuals other than manufacturers to repair electronics.