About HR1353

Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act

Policy Area: Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Bill [R-OH-6] (R-OH)

Latest Action (2023-04-27): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summary

Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act or the ALERT Parity Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to facilitate the provision of emergency communication services (e.g., 9-1-1 calls and emergency alerts) in unserved areas. An unserved area is one that has no commercial mobile service capable of providing emergency services because of a lack of infrastructure, destruction of infrastructure, a power outage, or other reason. The FCC must establish a process for companies to apply for approval to access the electromagnetic spectrum in order to provide emergency services in unserved areas. To obtain approval, a company must demonstrate that it (1) has a technical proposal for providing services, (2) will not use the spectrum to provide additional services, and (3) has the capability to provide the services rapidly. The company must also demonstrate that the services can withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, and other major disasters. The FCC must publish a list of approved providers online. Additionally, the bill provides protections for authorized users of the spectrum. For example, a provider with FCC approval to provide emergency services to an area under this bill may only access the spectrum if (1) the entity that is typically authorized to use it expressly consents in writing to the approved provider's use, and (2) the approved provider's use does not interfere with the authorized entity's use. Authorized entities that recei

Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures, Advanced technology and technological innovations, Congressional oversight, Emergency communications systems, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Government information and archives, Radio spectrum allocation, Telephone and wireless communication

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