[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6339280,"mediaKeyId","2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537","parentId",2262234,"title","Bill would bar mobile-home-park landlords from restricting tenants’ access to broadband and video services; FCC guidance complicates debate","audioSeconds",1556,"startMs",2598000,"endMs",4154000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537&start=2598&end=4154","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537/thumbnail_2598000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6339280/Kansas/Bill-would-bar-mobile-home-park-landlords-from-restricting-tenants-access-to-broadband-and-video-services-FCC-guidance-complicates-debate","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339280-b515cfc3574ba32fa89d23fea0ce3477/orig.mp4?Expires=1772879359&Signature=ZhgXxjxd3xS5~zt3hWy5FwAhUl9df2Hm1FKakfG9HWgiUaflV-2zdT2I1PJQqNaG01lxSbLLG9cvfojT8pHHOZozxHj8bGa5Rbk~WXIUHJlu7rrWdt4J5qWTfjMEO4YwyXB13i9RYTe4wqV-zoAsMneughI8Nt~BtuoJST5DMkljweSfgPLyQ4wrgU5Z9g0XMfDch-dtMaJ7oz--~CRNFeQnfgdZm8STcS-Q3xhgsc8ghsgppN0MhZx~7Sf6cwoYmVtkpPBYYzcnzyU0okse2Za7TntXd51xqOymiFJzXGFD8DnznTW4nnMBFZNLqkGuC2q6CDVFDq4SmV2~uZa8kw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","KS Legislature","date","2025-02-11T00:00:00Z","article","A House committee hearing Feb. 7 examined House Bill 2225, which would amend the Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to say explicitly that the statute’s prohibition on landlord-imposed restrictions on tenants’ choice of services includes cable television, communications, broadband and telecommunications services. The bill would take effect July 1, 2025, if enacted.

Proponents, including Ethan Kaplan of IdeaTek, said the change is a narrow clarification to prevent mobile-home-park landlords from blocking broadband providers from extending service to individual tenants. “If IdeaTek or AT&T or Cox wants to give a mobile home tenant … access, the issue is whether the property owner will allow them to actually get the line to their house,” Kaplan said. He told the committee IdeaTek has encountered several situations in the last one to two years where tenant choice did not result in actual access to service; the clarification, proponents argued, would enable providers to invest in bringing fiber to parks with less risk of being blocked by property owners.

Committee members asked practical questions about how access would be implemented. Representative Hoheisel and others asked whether the bill would require a provider to install infrastructure at the landlord’s expense or require landlords to allow installation across private park property. Kaplan said providers would generally pay to install their equipment and the subscribing tenant would pay any installation charge; the bill’s focus is to prevent landlords from denying access where it is otherwise possible.

Opponents included Martha Smith of the Kansas Manufactured Housing Association, who pointed the committee to Federal Communications Commission guidance stating that multiple-tenant environments (MTEs) include mobile-home parks and that the FCC’s guidance does not bind landlords to allow any entrant. Smith told the committee the FCC consumer guide explicitly lists “mobile home parks” in the MTE definition and explains that while providers may not contractually grant exclusive access among themselves, a landlord may still control which providers are allowed onto the property. She argued the bill could conflict with existing federal guidance and with property owners’ rights in certain parks.

Manufactured-housing and park-operator witnesses also noted practical constraints in some older, higher-density parks (average park age cited in testimony: 33 years) where existing infrastructure may not physically support multiple providers servicing every lot.

Supporters and affected providers said the amendment is meant to be narrow and to preserve reasonable landlord protections: existing law permits restrictions “necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the tenants.” The Committee’s reviser confirmed a similar provision exists in the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (addressing apartment-style MTEs) but that counties typically lack franchising authority available to municipalities.

The committee did not vote on HB 2225 on Feb. 7; the chair scheduled final action for Feb. 13. The hearing record shows ongoing questions about interaction with FCC guidance, whether the change should be broader (to other rental types) and how to address practical installation and infrastructure constraints.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications 02/11/2025","oneSentenceSummary","A House committee heard Feb. 7 on House Bill 2225, which would bar mobile-home-park landlords from restricting tenants’ access to cable, broadband, telecommunications or video services; proponents said the change would speed broadband deployment, opponents cited FCC guidance that landlords can limit which providers enter an MTE.","taxTitle","Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",18789,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6339284,"House Bill 2107 would set 2-year limit and $5 million punitive cap for wildfire claims, open KCC wildfire docket",1224,0,1224000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537&start=0&end=1224","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6339284/Kansas/House-Bill-2107-would-set-2-year-limit-and-5-million-punitive-cap-for-wildfire-claims-open-KCC-wildfire-docket","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339284-59bc7d853e9e6d0196ea788f9e86efcc/orig.mp4?Expires=1772879359&Signature=MAhYuN82oo6XMv1Bv4NdQ2RKCLPjaDZppVZ-RIrvBFeT4oA-eZ1DRR2wmrLAFzi7JdJSS~XxQj6KZ9RghLDpyJ92hKt63I10T024JM6W5RK4yzJiv-E6fnQBhikDp4vDxe4x01oZa8X5TRU0FqA33b~P0LulaJk877NlnbValVmjqciwXsfDNQ6a8UpTTriVOjhTVtdpRiRLrrCHPtZuiDXkDlB5abdMkTET3S36XPHjs0trpz85mQ9YS0SBQ9Y~S2vBiexgiLZjzEz9v59GB5zm3xzKLg1GYKbWoCseNWL8KqKaqu2SIggF2vhneGV3XrJOMBkxGluGC7E4d3j2Ag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House committee on energy and utilities heard testimony Feb. 7 on House Bill 2107, a bill that would create a specific statutory regime for civil claims against electric public utilities arising from unplanned wildfires. The bill would set a two-year statute of limitations, authorize recovery for economic losses, define how real-property damages are calculated, cap punitive damages at $5,000,000 and require the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to hold a docket and trainings on wildfire risk and utility mitigation.

Supporters, including Chuck Kaysley of Evergy, told the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications that the bill’s core purpose is to codify existing negligence standards and to prompt a formal KCC proceeding on mitigation strategies and cost recovery. “We would really like to have a formal proceeding in front of the Kansas Corporation Commission, to discuss wildfire risk mitigation and, to make sure that the state, is thinking proactively,” Kaysley said, adding that codifying the negligence standard and the punitive-damage cap would provide predictability for utility investors and customers.

Under the bill as introduced, a “fire claim” would include civil claims such as negligence, nuisance or trespass tied to an unplanned or out-of-control fire. Section 1(b) would begin a two-year limitation period “on the date that the fire was first ignited” as written. Section 1(c) would allow a plaintiff who proves causation by a preponderance of the evidence to recover economic losses for property damage. Subsection 1(d) directs that damages to real property be the lesser of: (1) the cost to restore property to its condition before the fire, or (2) the difference between fair market value before and after the fire. Section 1(e) would apply a punitive damages cap of $5,000,000 similar to an existing state cap cited in the bill memo.

Committee members and stakeholders pressed several technical and policy points. Representative Carmichael and others asked whether defining the statute of limitations to run from the ignition date could unfairly shorten plaintiffs’ time to sue if damage occurs later or is discovered later; Kaysley told the committee he and his clients would accept amending the bill to start the limitations period from the date of loss rather than the ignition date. The reviser (Nick Myers) and members discussed existing tolling and discovery rules in K.S.A. statutes and whether the bill’s language interacts with those rules.

Agriculture groups and farm organizations expressed concern about subsection (d) limiting available recovery for property losses. Claudia Hisong of the Kansas Farm Bureau said conversations with Evergy had begun and that the Farm Bureau was moving toward neutrality if the property-damage language were amended or removed. Jackie Garagiola of the Kansas Livestock Association echoed concerns that limiting how damages are calculated could reduce landowners’ ability to recover full economic losses from catastrophic events.

Proponents including the Kansas Chamber (Eric Stafford) argued the bill would provide a predictable legal environment for investment and avoid outcomes seen in higher-wildfire-risk states. Kansans for Lower Electric Rates filed neutral testimony suggesting an amendment to ensure customers are not assessed for damages paid when a utility is found negligent.

Section 2 would require the KCC to convene stakeholders, provide trainings and open an open docket to assess wildfire risk, utility readiness, mitigation strategies (for example, expanded vegetation management or public safety power shutoffs) and cost-recovery mechanisms. Kaysley told the committee such discussions should be led by the KCC so that operational trade-offs (for example, public-safety shutoffs affecting manufacturers or farm operations) are examined with broad stakeholder input.

No final committee vote was taken on HB 2107 at the Feb. 7 meeting; the chair scheduled final action for Feb. 13 along with House Bill 2225. The bill, as drafted, would take effect July 1, 2025, upon publication.

The hearing record shows active negotiations between utilities and agricultural stakeholders on the property-damage language and a technical revision request to the punitive-damages statutory cross-reference. Committee members asked the reviser to consider clarifying how the bill interacts with existing tolling and discovery doctrines in Kansas law.","Lawmakers heard testimony on House Bill 2107, which would create a two-year statute of limitations for wildfire claims against electric public utilities, limit certain property-damage calculations, cap punitive damages at $5 million and require the Kansas Corporation Commission to open a docket on wildfire risk and mitigation.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6339276,"Committee unanimously passes House Bill 2110 to revise 9-1-1 funding and transfer $1 million into State 9-1-1 Operations Fund",116,4496000,4612000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537&start=4496&end=4612","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2262234-52a0d87405967889a770b830ee849537/thumbnail_4496000.jpg","/articles/6339276/Kansas/Committee-unanimously-passes-House-Bill-2110-to-revise-9-1-1-funding-and-transfer-1-million-into-State-9-1-1-Operations-Fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339276-a106baa873e9c97f326b5c1085d18f19/orig.mp4?Expires=1772879359&Signature=nHTW-huzSAbTYrhef24uACbKbWA4F5X1~tO-rgxchQLbxCIsZDjjTwXsYtWGErwqofovFPdUJ0Y-x2242e3~VoAbpS5M0ZgIpQJ6f2Vf-1HQjm0nDKvzzA51uQh30yPt1BdHfzw3gJiYI0KpiWLL4Wmjo0U9UFgnstga0dyItNTs5epqFvAj6q4Y~cDlfy38F6R3qlb~e~7ceUjN9huiRCLZ8nitxZB6sOSAV28mhNdsjEGiVOWhc1XvamRHXKmVFn4hNPANuCjbfeoodHPZ2xf6VmaG6S0GwNUpmuVb9PHkYoZ62AA321kGnVA4Gw~CMuEITrQcJ1b57nSqYyjf4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee took final action Feb. 7 on House Bill 2110, a bill that would amend the Kansas 9-1-1 Act to change certain administrative and transfer provisions governing the State 9-1-1 Operations Fund and the State 9-1-1 Grant Fund.

Billy Hochulbert (Revisor’s staff) summarized the bill’s principal elements: the bill would remove the statutory requirement that the state 9-1-1 board contract with a local collection point administrator for services while allowing the board to contract where necessary; it would reschedule timing for funds created in the State Treasury and the bulk transfer of 9-1-1 monies that are held outside the Treasury; it would require an immediate transfer of $1,000,000 into the State 9-1-1 Operations Fund on July 1, 2025; and it would authorize the board to make discretionary annual transfers from the Operations Fund to the State 9-1-1 Grant Fund for amounts unencumbered from the prior fiscal year. The bill would also remove a one-cent transfer fee cap on the State 9-1-1 Grant Fund.

Representative Penn moved to open and pass the bill out favorably for passage; Representative Roth seconded the motion. The committee voice-voted the motion; the chair called for aye votes and declared the motion passed. Representative Carmichael asked that his affirmative vote be recorded in the minutes; Representatives Schlingenseben and Melton also requested their affirmative votes be recorded.

The bill passed the committee and will proceed as provided by legislative process.","The Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications voted to pass House Bill 2110, which revises administration of the Kansas 9-1-1 Act, requires immediate transfer of $1,000,000 into the State 9-1-1 Operations Fund on July 1, 2025, and authorizes discretionary transfers from operations to the grant fund.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill would bar mobile-home-park landlords from restricting tenants’ access to broadband and video services; FCC guidance complicates debate

House Bill 2107 would set 2-year limit and $5 million punitive cap for wildfire claims, open KCC wildfire docket

Committee unanimously passes House Bill 2110 to revise 9-1-1 funding and transfer $1 million into State 9-1-1 Operations Fund