Policy

Several Pennsylvania school districts are getting hit by extensive, time-consuming, anonymous requests for large volumes of information. Officials suspect non-local people are using an AI to auto-generate these requests.

Weeks after a court ruling in July found the FCC's E-rate program unconstitutional, some legal experts say strong bipartisan support for E-rate and the other universal service programs could ensure their survival.

The county’s commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed moratorium Sept. 12 — when it will also consider an application for a direct air carbon capture facility. Officials put a moratorium on direct air capture facilities in July.

One state lawmaker in Michigan is calling for heightened penalties for ransomware attacks that affect hospital systems after an attack last week impacted the McLaren hospital system.

The New Essential Education Discoveries Act would follow the DARPA model, establishing a national center for high-risk, high-reward education research and development.

New laws that will impact Ohio school districts this fall include one requiring them to adopt policies governing cellphone use during the day, and one requiring them not to give tech vendors rights to student records.

Since the Marietta Board of Education in Georgia started requiring students to have their cellphones and smartwatches locked in Yondr pouches during the day, both teachers and students have seen positive changes.

Gov. Ned Lamont said he intends to encourage local superintendents across Connecticut to pass and enforce policies restricting student use of smartphones during instructional time.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs cautioned voters to be wary of election misinformation, in a news release Monday, calling on them to rely on established news outlets and official government institutions.

The much-anticipated decision marks a significant victory for federal regulators trying to rein in the power of Big Tech and could send shock waves through the tech world.

The city’s CIO has said he would like to have a policy on artificial intelligence in place by year’s end. As officials work to make that happen, they’re looking at similar policies from Seattle and Boston, and in private industry.

The labels, required by the Federal Communications Commission, are intended to make monthly costs, subscription terms and network speeds clearer. Advocates and opponents continue to debate their existence.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to restrictions on cellphones in schools, an imperfect policy is better than no policy at all, and when policies come from the district or state level, they bring advantages.

A bipartisan bill being led by state representatives from Iowa and Massachusetts will attempt to crack down on the growing threats and distribution of sexually explicit “deepfakes” on digital platforms.

Passed by the Senate this week, KOSPA combines the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teen’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Experts say the bill could both help and hinder student use of online technology.

Similar to cities and states, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration recommended governments be open toward artificial intelligence — but called for risk monitoring in larger AI models.

Supporters say the ban would be the first to target software that allegedly played an outsized role in increasing the cost of housing — not just in San Francisco but across the country.

The application window for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program opened last week, including funds for schools and other public agencies to spend on promoting digital equity among underserved groups.