Bill Text: TX HB4895 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the emergency coordination of advanced communications service.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-23 - Referred to State Affairs [HB4895 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB4895-Introduced.html
| 88R2646 DIO-D | ||
| By: Raymond | H.B. No. 4895 | |
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| relating to the emergency coordination of advanced communications | ||
| service. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 2, Utilities Code, is amended | ||
| by adding Chapter 67 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 67. EMERGENCY COORDINATION OF ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS | ||
| SERVICE | ||
| Sec. 67.0101. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "advanced | ||
| communications service" means: | ||
| (1) interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol | ||
| service, such as home telephone service provided by an Internet | ||
| service provider; | ||
| (2) non-interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol | ||
| service, such as using a computer to engage in voice communication | ||
| over the Internet; | ||
| (3) electronic messaging service, such as text | ||
| messaging, instant messaging, or e-mail; or | ||
| (4) interoperable videoconferencing service. | ||
| Sec. 67.0102. POWER TO REGULATE AND SUPERVISE. (a) The | ||
| commission has authority to regulate and supervise a provider of | ||
| advanced communications service for the purposes of this chapter. | ||
| (b) This chapter does not grant the commission authority to | ||
| regulate and supervise a provider of advanced communications | ||
| service for a purpose other than the purposes of this chapter. | ||
| Sec. 67.0103. EMERGENCY COORDINATION. (a) The commission | ||
| by rule shall provide for coordination among providers of advanced | ||
| communications service during times of emergency, including | ||
| requiring providers of wireless advanced communications service to | ||
| have in place reasonable roaming and peering agreements for times | ||
| of emergency that can be employed without additional negotiation. | ||
| (b) The commission shall distribute a set of recommended | ||
| best practices on how providers of advanced communications service | ||
| and providers of electricity service should coordinate in order to | ||
| ensure that advanced communications service remains operational | ||
| during times of emergency and load shedding events. | ||
| (c) The commission shall: | ||
| (1) establish a process by which providers of advanced | ||
| communications service and providers of electricity service share | ||
| information regarding infrastructure that is used in the provision | ||
| of advanced communications service to facilitate prioritizing the | ||
| restoration of power to critical parts of advanced communications | ||
| service networks necessary for emergency response and restoration | ||
| efforts in a manner that promotes the most efficient and effective | ||
| use of resources during times of emergency and load shedding | ||
| events; | ||
| (2) ensure that providers of advanced communications | ||
| service take reasonable and technically feasible measures to | ||
| integrate backup power, including generators and batteries, into | ||
| advanced communications service networks to continue the provision | ||
| of advanced communications service during and following times of | ||
| emergency and during load shedding events, with particular focus on | ||
| consumers' ability to send and receive emergency communications; | ||
| and | ||
| (3) take all necessary, reasonable measures to ensure | ||
| appropriate coordination, including at incident command centers | ||
| established during times of emergency, between providers of | ||
| electricity service and providers of advanced communications | ||
| service and, where appropriate, state and local representatives to | ||
| ensure the providers: | ||
| (A) are aware of where infrastructure used in the | ||
| provision of advanced communications service is located to avoid | ||
| inadvertently damaging such infrastructure and delaying | ||
| restoration of advanced communications service during and | ||
| following times of emergency and load shedding events; | ||
| (B) communicate with each other on a regular and | ||
| ongoing basis regarding the progress of network restoration during | ||
| and following times of emergency and load shedding events; and | ||
| (C) are aware of their respective restoration | ||
| plans, priorities, and critical sites in advance of any emergency | ||
| and during and following times of emergency and load shedding | ||
| events. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
