The House Commerce Committee is set to get dueling feedback from communications sector stakeholders Wednesday on broadband provisions in the Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s (Lift) America Act (HR-2741). The bill, refiled last week, would allocate $40 billion for broadband projects, $12 billion in grants for implementing next-generation 911 technologies and $5 billion for a loan and credit program for broadband projects. Democrats first filed the bill in 2017 (see 1706020056). The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The FCC likely won’t move forward quickly to impose rules requiring carriers meet a new vertical location (z-axis) accuracy metric for indoor wireless calls to 911, industry officials said Tuesday. Monday, APCO said the FCC should drop plans to impose the metric and focus instead on dispatchable location solutions (see 1905200025). But there was no common thread to public safety comments. Other first responders said requiring a 3-meter metric will help. Comments were posted through Tuesday in docket 07-114.

APCO told the FCC it should drop plans to adopt a vertical location (z-axis) accuracy metric for calls to 911 and refocus on locating callers through dispatchable location. In March, commissioners approved a Further NPRM proposing a vertical location accuracy metric of plus or minus 3 meters for 80 percent of indoor wireless calls to 911. Public safety officials raised concerns that the level of accuracy of the metric isn’t good enough and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel dissented (see 1903150067). APCO now said the metric wouldn't help first responders. “Adopting the proposed z-axis metric would be a bad outcome for public safety professionals and the communities they serve. Consistent with the path laid out by the 2015 Order, the Commission should forgo adoption of a metric and thereby require carriers to rely on dispatchable location solutions to comply with the vertical location rules,” APCO said in a filing posted Monday. “Should the Commission proceed with adopting a z-axis metric, it should at a minimum be delivered with a floor number.” Comments were due Monday in docket 07-114.

The California Public Utilities Commission is taking a fresh look at communications, said members and staff at a commission meeting livestreamed Monday. Commissioners want to better understand future communications needs so they can determine the right role for the state regulator. They highlighted network issues during wildfires and low access among rural and low-income populations as possible issues.

Rhode Island lawmakers held for further study a bill to end 911 fee diversion at a House Finance Committee hearing Wednesday. That’s common in Rhode Island for a bill’s first hearing and doesn’t mean it failed. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello (D) said last week the issue should be taken up as part of the budget process, though the governor hasn’t proposed changing the practice in the budget (see 1905100006). “Undo this wrong,” HB-5933 sponsor Rep. John Lyle (R) urged colleagues at the webcast hearing.

A Nevada Assembly panel cleared two bills that could divert 911 fee revenue for unrelated purposes. The Government Affairs Committee recommended passage Tuesday of SB-25, which would allow 911 fee revenue to be used to pay personnel and training costs related to portable event recording devices, and SB-12, which would use those fees to pay for an audit of surcharges collected by telecom providers. The Senate last month voted 21-0 for both bills. “Diverting funds that are paid by consumers toward 9-1-1 emergency services is not only deceptive and wrong, it puts emergency communications systems at risk," said FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly in a statement to us. "We heard support [Wednesday] from the Congress for even stronger enforcement mechanisms to be used against states that divert. Even under current law, diverters remain ineligible for federal NG911 grants.” Don’t use 911 fees, CTIA said in an April 17 letter on SB-25 to Senate Government Affairs Committee Chairman David Parks (D). “Use of 911 fees for purposes unrelated to 911 programs is misleading to wireless consumers and could crowd out funding for 911 enhancements that may be necessary in the future,” wrote CTIA Director-State Legislative Affairs Lisa McCabe. CTIA wrote a similar letter that day opposing SB-12. Parks didn’t comment Wednesday.

CTIA representatives met with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on a recent report by the wireless industry’s National Emergency Address Database (see 1904290195). “Member companies are committed to enhancing the location accuracy of wireless 9-1-1 calls, particularly indoors, for Public Safety Answering Points,” the association filed in a document posted Wednesday in docket 07-114. “CTIA expressed support for a shared goal among the Commission and the public safety community to enhance 9-1-1 location accuracy, particularly for 9-1-1 calls placed from indoor locations, using the most technologically feasible and effective approach.”

House Communications Subcommittee Democrats criticized FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on a range of actions during a Tuesday hearing. That fulfilled expectations House Commerce Committee's oversight of the majority-GOP commission would be more critical since Democrats gained a majority in the chamber (see 1905140060). Lawmakers' ire was tempered by other communications policy interests. Top House Communications members used the hearing as a venue to float legislative proposals on broadband infrastructure, C-band spectrum reallocation and 911 fee diversion.

The FCC will put on a webinar June 17 regarding network reliability and security best practices for small and rural communications providers, it said Monday. The 70-minute webinar starts at 11 a.m. and will cover such issues as updates to the small business cybersecurity planner and the FCC's network outage reporting system as well as recommendations from the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council regarding transition to Next Generation 911.

The Assembly passed a proposed tweak to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) changing a requirement that businesses give consumers two or more ways to submit information requests. Members voted 73-0 Monday to send to the Senate AB-1564, under which businesses would be required to give either a toll-free number or an email and physical address, plus a web form if it has a website, for consumer information requests. The Assembly amended but left pending AB-1138, which would prohibit social media sites from allowing children under 13 to sign up without parental consent. The amendment would let companies use any FTC-verified method to comply. The Senate Appropriations Committee placed another privacy bill (SB-564) in the committee suspense file. The bill lays out when an individual has a cause of action against someone who distributes sexually explicit material depicting the person, and related procedures and requirements. The committee plans to weigh that and Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s (D) proposed tweaks to CCPA (SB-561) at a Thursday hearing. The committee also Monday placed on suspense SB-603, a bill to authorize a small independent phone corporation to initiate a rate case at the California Public Utilities Commission through either an advice letter or application. The Assembly unanimously passed AB-956 Monday to clarify automatic dialing devices may be used once a year to test 911 for data accuracy and emergency alert capabilities. It would let phone companies share personal information without prior consent for the purpose of issuing an emergency alert or testing the alert system.