The Wireless Infrastructure Association and others are expected to argue at a Tuesday Senate Communications Subcommittee hearing that lawmakers should consider network resiliency issues as they decide the contours of connectivity language in upcoming infrastructure spending legislation. Subpanel lawmakers said they intend to look at how to move forward on a to-be-refiled version of the Reinforcing and Evaluating Service Integrity, Local Infrastructure and Emergency Notification for Today’s (Resilient) Networks Act (see 2102160067) and other resiliency-centric bills. The partly virtual hearing begins at 2:30 p.m. in 253 Russell.
Call centers struggle to move to next-generation 911 because of longstanding funding and other issues, but the FCC hopes many reconfigure their systems to take vertical location information on wireless calls. On June 3, the agency reached agreements with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to start transmitting the data -- where possible (see 2106030086).
Public safety communications leaders haven’t reached agreement with the House Commerce Committee on changes to next-generation 911 language in panel Democrats’ Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s (Lift) America Act infrastructure bill (HR-1848), the advocates said. Infrastructure discussions between President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans were to extend into Monday. Friday's conversation between Biden and Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia didn’t yield a deal.
AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon agreed to start providing vertical-location information where available on all calls to 911 nationwide within seven days, to implement compliance plans, and to each pay a $100,000 fine, the FCC said Thursday. Public safety groups applauded the action. The agency's two Republican members were upset over process and technological issues.
Ossia wireless power firm taps Jim Cottrell, ex-HP, to lead regulatory efforts as senior director-regulatory compliance ... Comcast adds Toni Beck, ex-NextDecade, as vice president-external affairs, Houston Region ... Liberty Global and Digital Colony creating AtlasEdge Data Centres in transaction they expect to close in Q3, with industry executive Josh Joshi to be AtlasEdge executive chairman ... Hearst Television promotes Andrew Vrees to president-general manager, WMUR-TV Manchester, New Hampshire, succeeding Jeff Bartlett, retiring this summer.
Noting the high use of texting by populations particularly at risk to suicide, such as kids and minorities, the four FCC members on Thursday approved a Further NPRM on a mandate that carriers provide capabilities to text the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (see 2103310030). Also getting unanimous approvals at the commissioners' meeting were an order allocating spectrum for commercial space launches and an NPRM on setting a framework for informing 911 centers of network outages affecting them, as well as an NPRM on wireless mics in the TV and other bands and an order ending the 800 MHz rebranding process (see 2104220056). Commissioners also OK'd a $4.1 million slamming fine.
Five of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's 180 centers nationwide already have the technology and staff training to handle text-to-988 and chat messages, and it's not clear whether they will need more if the FCC mandates that providers support texting 988, we're told. Kim Williams, CEO of Vibrant Emotional Health, which administers Lifeline, said the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is working on a report that would include recommendations. SAMHSA said it's partnering with the FCC and carriers on the approach to implementing three-digit functionality for Lifeline. It said the ability of call centers to accommodate text-based utilization "has been -- and will continue to be -- a focus of the hotline’s operations." The FCC will vote at its April meeting on a Further NPRM on text-to-988 requirements and a possible July 16, 2022, implementation deadline (see 2103310054).
Public safety communications leaders told us they remain divided on the next-generation 911 language in the Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s (Lift) America Act (HR-1848) as the House Commerce Committee eyes how to proceed on the measure. HR-1848 allocates $15 billion for NG-911, along with $80 billion for broadband deployments (see 2103110060). The National Emergency Number Association and National Association of State 911 Administrators are continuing to press committee Democrats to modify HR-1848 language they view as impinging on existing NG-911 work. APCO continues to back the NG-911 provisions and countered opponents’ claims during a webinar last week.
Providers would have to implement texting to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, space launches would get new spectrum, 911 outage reporting rules would be harmonized, and the 800 MHz rebanding would end, if all items on the agenda for the FCC commissioners' April 22 meeting are approved. Also on tap are an NPRM to revise technical rules for wireless microphones, an order to require disclosures for foreign-sponsored broadcast content, a public notice to cap applications at 10 for the upcoming noncommercial educational FM window, and an unspecified enforcement matter.
A House Communications Subcommittee hearing Wednesday appears likely to focus on promoting $7.6 billion in E-rate funding included in Commerce Committee-advanced language to be added to a coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation package (see 2102120066), plus other measures to improve broadband access during the pandemic. House Commerce Republicans unveiled an alternative broadband policy agenda Tuesday, which largely draws on bills they first filed last summer (see 2102120066).