The Senate passed the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act (HR-2345) Wednesday under unanimous consent. The bill, which passed the House in July (see 1807240004), would direct the FCC to work to designate a new national three-digit dialing code in the style of 911 for a mental health crisis and suicide prevention hotline. The Senate previously passed companion bill S-1015. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the lead sponsor of S-1015, lauded passage of HR-2345 as a way to “turn the tide in the campaign against this epidemic.”

The FCC wants governors associations to help get state responses to information requests on 911 fee diversion, said Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel in a Tuesday letter to Democratic Governors Association Chair Jay Inslee of Washington state and Republican Governors Association Chair Bill Haslam of Tennessee. “Consider efforts to halt 9-1-1 fee diversion going forward and encourage those states that have diverted fees in the past to commit to corrective measures.” DGA and RGA didn’t comment. O’Rielly and Rosenworcel tweeted, with the Democrat writing it’s “not right when states charge you a ‘911 fee’ on your phone bill but then turn around and use the funds for other things.” O’Rielly is corresponding with states and territories, and House Commerce Committee leaders last week asked the FCC for more information (see 1807300033).

The Department of Homeland Security launched the National Risk Management Center, an access point for defending against cyberthreats, said Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Tuesday. Instead of calling 911, companies and individuals should call the center when they believe they are under cyberattack, she said at the National Cybersecurity Summit in New York. “We will be able to take a piece of intelligence, and with the help of the private sector, ask ourselves ‘so what’ and determine what we’re going to do about it together.”

FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly welcomed receipt of a proposed Puerto Rico bill to end 911 fee diversion there. O’Rielly referred the plan by Communications Workers of America to the Public Safety and Consumer bureaus for analysis, he said in a Monday letter to CWA. In a July 23 letter, the union asked for O’Rielly’s support before it presents the bill to Puerto Rico legislators for the term starting in August. CWA said Puerto Rico 911 staff have the lowest salaries among U.S. jurisdictions; the territory needs more 911 workers; current workers lack equipment and training; and 911 facilities aren’t ready for the next hurricane season. House Commerce Committee leaders last week asked the FCC for more information on states diverting 911 fees for unrelated purposes (see 1807230031).

Key Republicans backed and Democrats attacked deregulatory FCC policies under Chairman Ajit Pai at a House Communications Subcommittee oversight hearing Wednesday. GOP leaders lauded commission actions to improve emergency communications, update media regulations and promote broadband deployment. Democrats blasted the agency's net neutrality rollback and other deregulatory moves as favoring big industry players and even complicating national security. Pai and other commissioners had provided prepared testimony (see 1807240056).

The House passed the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act (HR-2345) and Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act (HR-4881) Monday evening. The vote for HR-2345 was 379-1, and the vote for HR-4881 was 378-4. HR-2345 and Senate-passed companion S-1015 would direct the FCC to work to designate a new national three-digit dialing code in the style of 911 for a mental health crisis and suicide prevention hotline. HR-4881 and Senate companion S-2343 would establish a task force to identify internet connectivity gaps in agricultural areas.

Verizon will soon submit its three-year progress report on its implementation plan for meeting FCC indoor location accuracy requirements, it said in a filing posted Monday in docket 07-114. “Verizon has exceeded the Commission’s compliance milestones for 50 meter accuracy thus far, and remains active in the development and implementation of the National Emergency Address Database scheduled for launch later this year,” it said. “Verizon’s plan also has several other methods for improving the accuracy of the x, y coordinate information delivered to [911 call centers], including so-called ‘device-based hybrid’ or ‘DBH’ solutions in which the wireless handset uses both satellite information and Wi-Fi based information to generate a highly accurate x, y coordinate.” The carrier said it wanted to update the FCC before filing the report later this summer.

The House passed the Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act (HR-3994) and Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act (HR-5709) Monday on voice votes. HR-3994 would establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within NTIA. HR-5709 would increase fines for illegal pirate operations from $10,000 per violation to $100,000 per day per violation, up to a maximum of $2 million. The House Commerce Committee cleared both bills during a markup this month (see 1807120063). NAB and the New York State Broadcasters Association hailed House passage of HR-5709. The House was expected to have voted later on the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act (HR-2345) and Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act (HR-4881). HR-2345 and Senate-passed companion S-1015 would direct the FCC to work to designate a new national three-digit dialing code in the style of 911 for a mental health crisis and suicide prevention hotline. HR-4881 and Senate companion S-2343 would establish a task force to identify internet connectivity gaps in agricultural areas.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, Ore., and other committee GOP leaders sought an FCC update Monday on states’ 911 fee diversions and their impact. This follows months of FCC pressure on New Jersey, Rhode Island and other jurisdictions (see 1802200055, 1802230012, 1804230042, 1805070050 and 1806210026). Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., led last week's filing of the 911 Fee Integrity Act (HR-6424), which would bar states from doing 911 fee diversion and give the FCC the power to decide on such “acceptable” uses (see 1807190038). “The amount of 9-1-1 funds that have been diverted for nearly a decade is troubling,” Walden and the other House Commerce Republicans said in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai: “Diverting 9-1-1 fees may result in understaffed calling centers, training issues, longer wait times during an emergency, and inhibit the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems" so emergency call centers can pinpoint the location of mobile device users. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., also signed the letter asking the FCC to schedule a briefing for committee staff. The agency didn’t comment.

Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., led filing of the 911 Fee Integrity Act (HR-6424), which would bar states from engaging in 911 fee diversion and give the FCC the power to decide on “acceptable” uses for the money. House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chairman Leonard Lance, R-N.J., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., co-sponsor the measure. HR-6424's introduction follows months of FCC pressure on New Jersey, Rhode Island and other jurisdictions to end their fee diversion activities (see 1802200055, 1802230012, 1804230042, 1805070050 and 1806210026). “It is completely unacceptable that we have seen states diverting fees meant to make important and necessary improvements to emergency response systems,” Collins said. “Diverting these important fees puts lives in danger, especially in rural areas.” FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who has agitated against fee diversion, lauded HR-6424: “States like Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey, and territories like Puerto Rico and Guam, have passed statutes over the years actually requiring the diversion of 9-1-1 funds for non-public safety related purposes. In the case of New Jersey, lawmakers have claimed it will take a constitutional amendment to end the practice. This is absurd and highlights the importance of further Congressional action to bring consistency and clarity to this matter.”