The FCC asked for comment on how it might “further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees” as part of its wireless enhanced 911 location accuracy requirements. The FCC is seeking Office of Management and Budget approval for an extension of this information collection and will submit the information collection after a 60-day comment period, said a notice for Tuesday’s Federal Register.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D) directed the Kentucky Public Service Commission to make emergency rules within 45 days that streamline pole attachments for broadband providers. Beshear signed a resolution Thursday that the legislature had passed last month (see 2403250037). Also, Beshear signed a consumer privacy bill (HB-15) that Consumer Reports called weak (see 2403280057). It makes Kentucky the 16th state with a comprehensive privacy law. And Beshear signed a bill (HB-528) on how 911 revenue should be spent through July 1, 2025.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission will consider changes to telecom service outage reporting requirements, the PSC decided at its Wednesday meeting. Commissioners voted 4-0 for the order in docket C-5564. Commissioner Eric Kamler (R) wasn't at the meeting. Outage reporting is “essential,” but the PSC “has recently observed an increase in the number of significant and concerning outages, and in reports of cable cuts,” the agency said. In addition, the PSC said it has heard that “requirements in its outage reporting policy are unclear and could be subject to multiple interpretations.” One proposed change would require that a carrier’s initial outage report include a “listing of any public safety answering points, government officials, other agencies, or news media notified of the outage.” Also, the PSC would require daily updates for outages lasting longer than three days. The current requirement is an update every five days for outages longer than five days. A final report would be due five business days after service is restored, down from 14 days. It would have to address how the outage affected 911 services, in addition to previous requirements. Also, the PSC proposal would redefine what counts as a service interruption. It would exempt planned or scheduled outages when customers receive notice at least 24 hours in advance. The PSC set a workshop for May 29 at 1:30 p.m. CST and asked for written comments on proposed changes by June 14.
Two 911 bills passed the Kansas State Legislature. The House concurred Monday with Senate amendments to HB-2690 and HB-2483. The first bill would replace the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council with a state 911 board, among other changes. The second bill would eliminate a five-year audit by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit. The House voted 114-5 for HB-2690 and 119-0 for HB-2483. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) will next consider the bills, which the Senate approved last week (see 2403280010).
The Kansas Senate passed two 911 bills Wednesday. State senators voted 39-1 in favor of HB-2690, a possible state 911 administration shakeup that would replace the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council with a state 911 board, allow counties to contract with each other to consolidate public safety answering points and require transfer of 911 fees collected from monthly phone bills and prepaid wireless sales to state 911 funds at the state treasury (see 2403060075). Senators also voted 39-1 to pass HB-2483, which would eliminate a five-year audit by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit. The audit checks if public safety answering points are appropriately using 911 funding, whether they have enough money and the status of 911 service implementation (see 2402220062). The House previously passed both bills but must agree to Senate amendments.
Intrado representatives met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to discuss moving to next-generation 911, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-479. “The most important elements for accelerating NG911 deployment” include the commission adopting a “nationwide NG911 framework that accommodates current and already-planned deployments and creates the conditions to accelerate others” and “increased and faster direct” wireless and VoIP connections through basic session IP to emergency services IP networks, which “would support the delivery of 911 traffic in IP and reduce or eliminate the need for provider protocol translation workarounds,” Intrado said: “The majority of the nation’s current 911 traffic (wireless/VoIP) is ready for the Commission’s regulatory framework for NG911 delivery based on a State 911 Authority’s valid request demonstrating readiness and designation of a point of interconnection.”
Maryland could lighten the load for 911 call centers by letting AI handle nonemergency 311 calls, state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D) said at a House Health and Government Operations Committee hearing Wednesday. Kagan urged the committee to approve her SB-1068, which would direct the Department of Information Technology to evaluate the feasibility of an AI-based, statewide 311 system and possibly launch a pilot. She estimated that about 80% of the calls received by Baltimore’s call center are nonemergency. AI could help answer 311 callers’ questions while controlling costs, she said. Some committee members asked about adding more guardrails to the bill to avoid possible AI problems like implicit bias. Kagan said she is open to amendments, though she said the department would consider those issues, and she doesn’t want to be too prescriptive with the bill. Committee Chair Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D) said the bill will go to a subcommittee for further discussion. Also at the hearing, the committee considered SB-974, which would establish a 25 cent monthly 988 fee on landline and mobile services. There would also be a 25 cent fee on each retail transaction for prepaid wireless. The bill mirrors HB-933, which previously passed the committee. The House voted 121-17 to pass HB-933 March 18.
Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) will expand the reach of cellular networks, which is increasingly important when 95% of the U.S. population has abandoned landline phones, David Witkowski, co-chair of the Deployment Working Group at IEEE Future Networks, said during an RCR Wireless webinar Tuesday. Last month, FCC commissioners approved a supplemental coverage from space framework, facilitating carriers working with satellite operators on converged networks (see 2403150045).
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told us Thursday she hopes to soon file legislation on a five-year renewal of the FCC’s lapsed spectrum auction authority without language authorizing sales of specific bands, despite Republican criticism during a Thursday hearing about omitting an airwaves pipeline. Senate Commerce ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., emphasized their 2024 Spectrum Pipeline Act (S-3909) as an antidote to concerns about the Biden spectrum strategy, as expected (see 2403200001). The hearing also revealed clear divisions among panel Republicans about continuing to explore 5G use of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, which has drawn opposition from DOD and top Capitol Hill allies (see 2403200061).
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed 911 legislation, HB-1092, which would increase South Dakota’s 911 fee on monthly phone bills to $2, from $1.25, the governor’s office said Tuesday. The legislature passed the bill earlier this month (see 2403060026).