Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., filed an amendment Tuesday seeking to attach language from his Supporting National Security with Spectrum Act (S-4049) to the House-approved FY 2024 national security appropriations supplemental package (HR-815) as an alternative vehicle for allocating an additional $3.08 billion for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. S-4049, which Daines filed in March (see 2403220056), would offset the additional rip and replace funding by authorizing a reauction of the 197 AWS-3 licenses that Dish and affiliated designated entities returned to the commission last year. The Senate rejected a Thursday bid from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to open HR-815 up for amendments. “Removing Chinese telecom equipment from our wireless networks is a matter of national security,” Daines said in a statement. “Rural providers must have the resources and ability to remove compromised equipment. Without it, our wireless systems are at severe risk. This service is also critical for many Montanans in eastern Montana who could lose 911 and cell service. We must get this done before it’s too late.” Daines unsuccessfully attempted to attach the funding to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act FY 2024 minibus spending bill last month (see 2403210067). He also previously considered filing the rip-and-replace language when the Senate was eyeing a version of the foreign aid package in January (see 2401240001). Lawmakers are continuing to eye using a spectrum legislative package to pay for additional rip-and-replace funding (see 2403140066).

The Senate Commerce Committee is eyeing a May 1 vote on the to-be-filed Spectrum and National Security Act from panel Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., lobbyists told us. A general notice on the Senate Commerce markup session was online Wednesday night but the committee hadn’t formally announced its agenda. It wasn’t certain Wednesday night whether the Spectrum and National Security Act would actually be part of the meeting. The executive session will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. There are five other telecom and tech-focused bills on the docket: the Rural Broadband Protection Act (S-275), Network Equipment Transparency Act (S-690), Protecting Kids on Social Media Act (S-1291), Create AI Act (S-2714) and Future of AI Innovation Act (S-4178).

Don’t interpret the quiet to mean no work is being done on 911 redundancy, Frontier Communications said in a Friday letter to the West Virginia Public Service Commission. The carrier responded to the West Virginia E911 Council complaining in an April 8 letter that neither Frontier nor the West Virginia Department of Emergency Management has shown the council a feasible and affordable way to solve diversity and redundancy problems for the state’s 51 public safety answering points. The council urged the PSC to open a general investigation in response to its complaint in case 23-0921-T-C about 911 outages (see 2312070015). However, replying Friday, Frontier said its work with the department “is currently in the stages of proof of concept” and the department has asked the company to keep information confidential.

The Colorado General Assembly supported permanent high-cost support on Friday. The House, which had earlier passed HB-1234, voted 58-2 Friday to concur with Senate amendments and 51-9 to pass the bill a second time. The bill would indefinitely extend the state's high-cost support mechanism, which provides subsidies to a dozen rural telecom providers and is scheduled to sunset Sept. 1. The Senate passed the bill last week (see 2404160026). Also that day, the House voted 58-2 to concur with Senate amendments and 51-9 to repass a kids’ social media bill (HB-1136). It would require the state’s education department to create elementary and secondary school curricula on social media’s mental health issues (see 2404120013). Gov. Jared Polis (D) will consider the bills next. Meanwhile, the Colorado Senate voted 33-0 to approve a biometric data privacy bill (HB-1130) and 19-14 in favor of a 911 bill (SB-139). The House previously passed HB-1130 but must concur with Senate changes. The House hasn’t considered SB-139, which would create an additional state 911 fee (See 2404160036).

APCO representatives urged that the FCC seek additional comment on implementing next-generation 911. The FCC sought comment last year on proposals about quickening the adoption of NG911 (see 2309110042). “Proposed rules in this proceeding are focused on the delivery of 9-1-1 traffic, which comprises only the first part of the emergency communications chain,” APCO told Public Safety Bureau staff according to a filing Thursday in docket 21-479. “To take the next step toward achieving public safety’s vision for NG9-1-1, the Commission should initiate a further notice of proposed rulemaking to address interoperability requirements for 9-1-1 service providers and other elements of the emergency communications chain,” APCO said.

Last week’s multistate 911 outage is under investigation, additional state and local officials said after the FCC and others noted Thursday they were examining Wednesday disruptions in Texas, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota (see 2404180053). The Nebraska Public Service Commission “will make a determination after more facts from [public safety answering points] and carriers are collected,” Commissioner Tim Schram (R) told us Friday. Deputy Fire Chief Billy Samuels of Clark County, Nevada, said in an email Thursday that the “cause of the outage remains under investigation.” On Wednesday night during the outage, Clark County’s Office of Emergency Management activated a multi-agency coordination center, while the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department “established unified command to ensure that police, fire and medical needs from the community were not unmet,” said Samuels. “Through this coordinated effort, an alternative solution was established, but full 911 service was restored before this was implemented,” he said. The county doesn’t know of emergencies that went unaddressed during the outage, he said.

The FCC "has already begun investigating the 911 multistate outages that occurred [Wednesday] night to get to the bottom of the cause and impact," Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement Thursday. Authorities in affected states are asking questions, too. At least four states -- Texas, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota -- experienced 911 calling problems, said state officials and news reports.

A Kansas 911 administration shakeup won approval from Gov. Laura Kelly (D) on Monday. She signed HB-2690 to replace the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council with a state 911 board, among other changes (see 2403060075). The governor signed another 911 bill Friday to end a five-year audit (see 2404150027). In Colorado, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-4 on Tuesday to advance SB-139 to the full Senate. The bill would create a 911 services enterprise within the Department of Regulatory Agencies that could impose a user fee of up to 50 cents monthly per 911 access connection. Revenue from the new fee, which would be separate and in addition to an existing 911 surcharge imposed by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, would fund 911 costs and expenses including statewide training, cybersecurity support, geographic information system programs, grants for public safety answering points and governing bodies and matching funds for 911 or emergency notification service grants.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Monday urged the Office of Management and Budget to reclassify 911 communicators as first responders in the federal employment classification system. The letter marks National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which is this week. “Our Nation’s 911 operators are among our most vital first responders,” the letter argues: “The professionals who take these calls to set emergency response in motion operate with extraordinary skill in a pressure-filled environment.” Rosenworcel noted her long-standing advocacy of reclassifying the status of 911 communicators (see 1908140017) and that many states have taken that step.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) supported ending a five-year 911 audit by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit. Kelly signed HB-2483, the governor’s office said Friday. The state legislature passed that bill and another to shake up state 911 administration earlier this month (see 2404020059).