Policy

Plus, E-rate program funding is at risk, broadband legislation has been introduced, Massachusetts debuts connectivity initiative, materials from the Office of Educational Technology are once again available, and more.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would compel social media companies to change how their platforms are designed, to keep children from harm. It would require features to mitigate compulsive use, deceptive marketing and other practices.

State officials have made several changes to the IT procurement process in an effort to expand public-private partnership opportunities, increase efficiency for businesses, and save taxpayers money.

A new definition for the vehicles approved Tuesday by the City Council categorizes a class of the devices as nonmotorized but providing power by being pedaled. This will allow them onto some city properties, including parks.

Children would need permission from a parent or guardian to possess an online social media account under a bill that received bipartisan support Tuesday from an Iowa House committee.

Lawmakers in Arkansas and Missouri are considering legislation that would bolster cyber reporting and data privacy standards for businesses; and, in Texas, tighten cybersecurity standards for water utilities.

Created by gubernatorial executive order, the state’s new Department of Governmental Efficiency team will work to “promote efficiency, maximize productivity and eliminate waste in state and local government.”

In her State of the State address this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to call for state legislation to address smartphone distractions in schools, but local control remains important to many superintendents.

A bipartisan group of senators in the state Legislature is currently pushing for more restrictions on convincing computer-generated sexually explicit images of real people.

While many teachers and administrators have reported positive changes after phone bans, students found ways to bypass those rules by slipping calculators or dummy phones into pouches, or switching to smartwatches.

State decision-makers continue to grapple with a series of questions raised in many of the 20-plus other AI-related memos and bills submitted in the Pennsylvania Legislature in the last two-year session.

With ed-tech resources removed from the U.S. Department of Education website, experts said state and district leaders may have to rely more on each other and national education groups for future guidance.

Watchdogs and regulators are concerned new data centers could weigh heavily on residents’ power bills without proper curbs. One utility’s request to tweak an electric rate comes in part to confront those concerns.

State and federal government agencies have been taking action to appoint a dedicated staff member to lead on artificial intelligence. Is it necessary for cities and counties to create a similar role?

From Oklahoma to Mississippi to New Hampshire, nearly a dozen states are putting their imprint on the government efficiency movement in the form of committees and task forces, looking to improve operations.

Plus, a report found the Affordable Connectivity Program pays for itself, the BEAD program funding dispute continues, a bill aims to reduce barriers for broadband deployment, Oswego County, N.Y., gets a broadband grant and more.

Hundreds of technology partners focused on the public sector gathered outside Washington, D.C., for the annual Beyond the Beltway event, an industry-focused forecast of what 2025 looks like for state and local IT.

The state’s House of Representatives has passed a bill that would regulate virtual currency kiosks — licensing operators and capping the amount someone can put into a kiosk daily. It has moved to the state Senate.