A District of Columbia advisory neighborhood commission (ANC) opposed bringing back Karima Holmes as Office of Unified Communications (OUC) director. ANC 4B commissioners voted 7-0, with one member absent, Monday for Resolution 4B-22-0302, which asks Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) to withdraw Holmes’ nomination and urges the D.C. Council and its Judiciary and Public Safety Committee to reject her confirmation. A District audit flagged management and other problems in Holmes’ previous stint as OUC director (see 2202240057). With follow-up reports expected later this year, D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson (D) also raised questions about Holmes’ return (see 2203280027). OUC, Bowser and Public Safety Committee Chair Charles Allen (D) didn’t comment.

An upcoming sequel audit of the District of Columbia’s 911 center will be a “deeper dive than we do with most of our audits,” reflecting “the incredible importance of the issues,” D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson said in a Friday interview. Patterson raised questions about the return of Karima Holmes to lead the Office of Unified Communications (OUC). Advocates for D.C. 911 improvements said they want results.

Maryland senators voted 46-0 for a data privacy study bill (see 2203150006). SB-11 goes to the House. The Senate also passed SB-633, sending the House a bill to repeal a cap on county 911 fees, create special rights for 911 specialists and modify the state 911 board’s membership and responsibilities.

Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., led filing Thursday of the 988 Implementation Act to solidify federal funding for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and provide money for local call centers and related resources. The measure would allocate $240 million to the hotline for fiscal years 2023-2027 and $441 million for the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to regional and local crisis centers for tech improvements and hiring additional staff. “When people start calling 988 this July, they must be connected to the proper assistance they need, with the urgency and support they deserve,” Cardenas said. “For this to truly be a life-saving alternative to 911, there must be someone to call, someone to come and somewhere to go.” It “will bolster the behavioral health crisis continuum of care nationwide and ensure that the lifesaving 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline is successfully implemented,” said co-sponsor Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. Cardenas’ office cited support from more than 100 groups, including the American Psychiatric Association and National Association of Counties. A trio of Democratic senators raised concerns last year about CTIA lobbying states on capping 988 fees (see 2107150063).

House Communications Subcommittee members are continuing to wrestle with whether and how to package legislation to reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum auction authority with other related policy matters. Witnesses at a Wednesday hearing on those issues urged Congress to quickly renew the FCC’s sales authority and cited a range of other matters lawmakers should simultaneously consider, including directing proceeds to pay for other telecom projects and addressing interagency disputes on frequency allocations (see 2203150069).

Witnesses scheduled for a Wednesday House Communications Subcommittee hearing on 5G and spectrum management issues (see 2203090074) urged lawmakers in written testimony to prioritize reauthorizing the FCC’s spectrum auction authority. Witnesses also cite interest in legislation to direct proceeds to pay for other telecom projects and address interagency disputes on frequency allocations. Congress last extended the FCC’s auction authority via the 2012 spectrum law. That authorization will expire Sept. 30. The partly virtual hearing is to begin at 10:30 a.m. in 213 Rayburn.

T-Mobile joined a parade of mental health advocates Thursday backing Kansas' proposed fee structure to fund implementation of the 988 suicide prevention hotline. HB2281 would set the structure for and direct implementation of the state's role in the 988 hotline, including designation of hotline centers, convening of mobile crisis teams, training of staff and hiring of a statewide suicide prevention coordinator, the House Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications was told Thursday. It would impose a monthly surcharge of 20 cents per line on voice services, or a fee of 0.4% on each prepaid wireless transaction, with those fees going to the state 988 fund. The surcharge would generate about $7 million a year. Some states have passed 988 bills without surcharges, and Michigan and Illinois have bills pending that don't use surcharges and instead look at state revenue surpluses, said Patrick Fucik, T-Mobile state government affairs director. "Those funds might dry up eventually," and long-term a fee might be needed, he said. Amy Campbell, Kansas Mental Health Coalition coordinator, agreed relying on the state's general fund can mean a roller-coaster of services being provided and then cut back due to budgetary constraints. Monica Kurz, director of the Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center, a crisis call center, said state funding last year helped boost the capacity of the state's crisis call centers, letting more calls that originate in Kansas be answered in-state and directed to local resources. She said before that funding, about 40% of Kansans' calls to the national suicide prevention lifeline were routed out of state because of a lack of call center staffing. She said the per-phone surcharge is "critical" to keeping up current levels of service. She said a significant amount of call traffic to 911 is mental health-related and could end up being handled by 988 over time. Nick Wood, associate director of advocacy organization InterHab, urged retooling language in the bill on providing mobile crisis response services for people with behavioral health or intellectual and developmental disability needs. No bill opponents testified at the hearing.

Washington state 911, broadband and blockchain bills passed the legislature Monday. The House voted 97-1 to concur with Senate changes to HB-1703 to update the state’s emergency communication law for NG-911 and coordinate 911 with the 988 suicide and mental health hotline (see 2202280048). And the House voted 70-28 to agree with the Senate on HB-1723 to set up broadband adoption programs (see 2203040049). The Senate voted 48-0 to concur with House amendments to SB-5544 to establish a blockchain study group (see 2202220040).

The West Virginia legislature passed an emergency communications bill to set up a commission to study implementing next-generation 911 for the state. The Senate voted 33-0 Monday for the House-passed HB-4282. The commission would have to complete a preliminary report by Dec. 31 and a final report by June 1, 2023. "The growing use of cellphones and VoIP devices has made traditional 911 services less reliable because they do not show the location of or information about the caller,” said sponsor Sen. Mark Maynard (R) at the livestreamed floor session. HB-4282 will become law if Gov. Jim Justice (R) signs. Friday in Illinois, the House voted 103-0 for HB-5502 to require that multi-line telephone systems and other services route 911 calls to the correct jurisdiction. It goes to the Senate. Also that day, the Hawaii House unanimously sent the Senate HB-1980 to permit but not require Medicaid, health insurers and others to cover telephonic behavioral health services.

Telecom-focused lawmakers are trying to beat the legislative clock as they seek a way to renew the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, currently set to expire when FY 2022 ends Sept. 30. The House Communications Subcommittee is eyeing a March 16 hearing on auction authority reauthorization and potential ways to spend revenue from additional auctions, Hill aides and lobbyists told us. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently asked Congress to authorize the agency to use proceeds to pay for next-generation 911 tech upgrades (see 2202220057). Congress last extended the FCC’s auction authority via the 2012 spectrum law.