Policy

U.S. Senators prepared to vote Tuesday on a package of bills designed to safeguard children online. Opponents geared up to lobby against them in the House.

Across the state, voters in five districts nixed buying electric school buses and instead approved buying traditional ones. Even voters in progressive-leaning Ithaca agreed to buy just two.

This week’s decision from the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals calls the Universal Service Fund unconstitutional. The nearly 30-year-old fund uses telecommunications fees to pay for the FCC’s E-rate program.

New legislation requires that all public and private schools in Ohio carry automated external defibrillators, which can help prevent student athletes from dying of sudden cardiac arrest.

Technology execs are critical of state Sen. Scott Wiener’s Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act. The San Francisco Democrat said Thursday it is narrower than the European Union AI law.

A new framework from the Los Angeles County Office of Education offers step-by-step instructions for the implementation and use of artificial intelligence in TK-12 schools that other districts might find useful.

Panelists in a recent webinar discussed how bad actors might want to tamper with voter registration databases — and how election offices around the country have been working to stay resilient against threats.

The South Carolina Department of Education is expected to draft a model cellphone policy in August. Many students at schools that have already piloted cellphone restrictions were pleasantly surprised at their effect.

Grove City, Ohio, has taken a cautious, intentional approach to regulating artificial intelligence. An AI policy enacted late last year specifies implementation of AI-powered tools is approved on a case-by-case basis.

School districts and state and local governments across the U.S. have been approving policies restricting student cellphone use in class. Many teachers are desperate for the help, and some have already seen improvements.

SpaceX is apparently seeking permission from federal regulators to land its Super Heavy booster at its Boca Chica Beach launch tower rather than have it splash into the Gulf of Mexico during Starship's next flight.

The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would make AI-generated nude photos a federal crime and give victims assurance that such images can be removed quickly from the Internet.

The Federal Communications Commission voted July 18 to allow funding for Wi-Fi hot spots under the E-rate program. Schools can loan these hot spots to students who lack Internet access at home.

After two fires at battery energy storage facilities in less than a year, staff for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will create standards for future projects in unincorporated areas. The issue could go to a vote as soon as August.

The Senate Commerce Committee will mark up the long-delayed legislation before Congress’ recess in August, Chair Maria Cantwell said. The markup of a House version was canceled last month, but it retains support, she said.

Plus, the FCC is taking steps to update broadband data collection, more states have had their initial proposals for BEAD funding approved, Oakland got a grant to expand broadband infrastructure, and more.

The question is front of mind for U.S. influencers and many small businesses as lawmakers threaten to ban the Chinese-owned social media app that's become a cornerstone of Internet culture and e-commerce.

A unanimous vote Tuesday by the Common Council barred new cryptocurrency mining operations from the northern New York city for the next two years. The ban on new enterprises follows resident complaints about an existing facility.