Policy

More than 23 million low-income households are enrolled in a federal discount program that is expected to run out of money in April or May, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

A California lawmaker has introduced a bill in Congress that would force AI companies to say where they got the reams of data needed to make their super smart chatbots and image generators.

Net neutrality — a long-debated policy that was solidified under President Barack Obama — required Internet service providers to treat all communications on their networks the same regardless of content.

Two lawmakers said they have reached an agreement on the broad outlines of a pact that would create the United States’ first federal data privacy standard. A national data privacy law has eluded Congress for years.

The group seeks to create guardrails against potential threats posed by AI — like election interference and intellectual property theft — while ensuring the U.S. remains the leader of this evolving technology.

Laws requiring age verification for adult content and social media are spreading. That raises a question: How can companies and government reliably verify ages in the absence of centralized state digital ID systems?

A 50-state investigation in data journalism suggests the answer is, not yet. The AI agent was insightful on a number of fronts; but, while not descending into hallucinations, its mind strayed from instructions as the experiment went on.

The bill, which has cleared the state Senate, redefines the crime in existing law to include unauthorized use of tracking devices and computers for recording, tracking or reporting someone’s movements or location. It now goes to the Assembly.

The bill aims to update and expand the state's 2007 electronic waste law — passed to address appliances such as televisions and computers — to apply to 100% of electronic waste in Minnesota.

A recent cyber attack on the state court system underscored the need to boost government defenses. The bill would also bring more consolidation to executive branch IT operations.

Secretary of State David Scanlan said he’s in favor of using federal election funds, via grants, to help cities and towns modernize aged devices. Scanlan had been reluctant to commit federal Help America Vote Act funds to the effort.

The NOTICE Coalition, on behalf 42 advocacy organizations representing various student groups, argued in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education that AI-powered security systems violate privacy and human rights.

Following the rollout of its guidelines for AI use in K-12 in January, Washington state's latest version provides updated resources such as policy suggestions, practical implementations, terms and FAQs.

Iterate.ai, based in Denver, is offering its threat detection software to K-12 districts free of charge. The company’s initiative was followed by state legislation calling for school grants to pay for security systems.

The Silicon Valley city has marked itself as a leader in AI with establishment of the GovAI Coalition and early adoption of guidelines — and CIO Khaled Tawfik says AI will likely change how leaders approach technology.

Restricting student access to phones during class tends to upset at least some parents and students, but others have come around to the idea, and teachers are observing fewer distractions and behavioral incidents.

Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are fertile ground for state lawmakers this session. Bills they also propose include making a joint risk analysis of generative AI and changes to the California Cybersecurity Maturity Metric.

Cities and states are working on novel solutions to old, intractable problems. Governing magazine’s return to print showcases stories of the people who are making them work across the country.