Today:  Massachusetts Upholds Enhanced 911 Surcharge Increase,  US House Hearings On Public Safety 

Massachusetts Upholds Enhanced 911 Surcharge Increase

The Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC) denied a motion for reconsideration and upheld its 2018 increase to the Enhanced 911 (E911) surcharge released in June 2018.  The motion for reconsideration came after the recent E911 surcharge increase.  Interestingly, the DTC determined that expenditures used to upgrade the CoMIRS system are eligible for funding through the E911 Surcharge pursuant to both state and federal law.  Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 7/6/18.

US House Hearings on Public Safety

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), announced a hearing for Friday, September 14, 2018 entitled, “Solutions to Strengthen U.S. Public Safety Communications.”  The hearing will examine several bipartisan bills to improve public safety communications including::

• H.R. 6424, the 9-1-1 Fee Integrity Act, introduced by #SubCommTech Vice Chairman Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA). The bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue rules, within six months of enactment, that would designate what is and is not an acceptable use of 9-1-1 fees collected by State, local, and Tribal governments.
• H.R. 5700, the National Non-Emergency Mobile Number Act, introduced by Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Eshoo. The bill would direct the FCC to start a proceeding to designate a national dialing short-code for mobile-device users to reach public safety personnel in critical, but non-emergency, circumstances.
• H.R. 6003, the Anti-Swatting Act of 2018, introduced by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and #SubDCCP Vice Chairman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). The bill would stiffen criminal penalties against those who intentionally transmit false or misleading caller ID information to Public Safety Answer Points with an intent to trigger an emergency response from law enforcement and first responders when in fact there is no threat to life, health or property.

“As we approach the 17th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on our nation, we are reminded of the critical role that our communications networks play in keeping Americans safe. I am pleased that members of the subcommittee from both sides of the aisle have come together on legislation to strengthen the 9-1-1 system and public safety communications,” said #SubCommTech Chairman Blackburn.

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.

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