Thirty-eight states and Puerto Rico have pending legislation addressing broadband in issue areas such as educational institutions and schools, dig once, funding, governance authorities and commissions, infrastructure, municipal-run broadband networks, rural and underserved communities, smart communities and taxes.
Twenty-seven states enacted 59 bills in 2020, excluding appropriation bills, to support and improve the operation of public emergency communications services. The 2020 enactments related to the 911 system cover such issues as administration, fees and funding, privacy and confidentiality, and E911 and NG911.
An increasing number of states operate from the presumption that non-sensitive government data should be made freely available and usable for the public. Fewer than half the states, however, have laws that outline a specific approach and commitment to open data.
Net neutrality is the concept that all data traffic on a network should be treated indiscriminately. Nine states have introduced net neutrality legislation in the 2021 legislative session.
The Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce has jurisdiction over state-federal relations with regard to electronic commerce, banking, insurance, securities and other financial services issues, interstate commerce and taxation of electronic transactions, telecommunications and interstate business activity taxes.
State legislatures are working to improve the operations of public emergency communication services for today's digital mobile society. This webpage provides access to NCSL’s 911 legislation database, as well as year-end summaries of enacted 911 legislation dating back to 2011.