US Congress Senate Bill 96 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum:
Status: Passed on February 26 2018 - 100% progression
Action: 2018-02-26 - Became Public Law No: 115-129. (TXT | PDF)
Text: Latest bill text (Enrolled) [PDF]

Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require intermediate providers that offer the capability to transmit voice communications and signaling information from one destination to another, and that charge a rate to any other entity (including an affiliated entity) for such a transmission, to: (1) register with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and (2) comply with service quality standards to be established by the FCC. An "intermediate provider" is an entity that: (1) enters a business arrangement with a long-distance voice service provider that makes the initial call path choice for more than 100,000 domestic retail subscriber lines, or with another intermediate provider, to carry, route, or transmit voice traffic from a call placed from or to an end user connection using a North American Numbering Plan resource; and (2) does not itself (directly or in conjunction with an affiliate) serve as such a long-distance initial call path choice provider in the context of originating or terminating a given call. The bill prohibits such long-distance providers (including local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, commercial mobile radio services, interconnected voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] services, and certain non-interconnected VoIP services) from using an intermediate provider to transmit voice communications and signals unless the intermediate provider is so registered. The FCC must: (1) ensure the integrity of the transmission of voice communications to all customers in the United States, (2) prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such voice communications, and (3) make a registry of intermediate providers publicly available on the FCC website. The bill shall not be construed to preempt or expand the authority of a state agency or public utility commission to collect data, or enforce state law and regulations, regarding the completion of intrastate voice communications. Certain long-distance providers that make initial call path choices are exempt from service quality standards that the FCC is required to establish under this bill if they certify under a safe harbor provision in existing FCC rules that they monitor the performance of, or do not use, intermediate providers.

Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017

Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]	Sen. John Thune [R-SD]	Sen. Jon Tester [D-MT]	Sen. Angus King [I-ME]
Sen. Chuck Grassley [R-IA]	Sen. Joni Ernst [R-IA]	Sen. Al Franken [D-MN]	Sen. Mike Rounds [R-SD]
Sen. Claire McCaskill [D-MO]

Date	Chamber	Action
2018-02-26	House	Became Public Law No: 115-129. (TXT | PDF)
2018-02-26	House	Signed by President.
2018-02-14	House	Presented to President.
2018-02-09	House	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
2018-02-09	House	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H990-991)
2018-02-09	House	Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR 2/8/2018 H1002)
2018-02-08	House	At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Lance objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was considered as withdrawn.
2018-02-08	House	DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 96.
2018-02-08	House	Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H990-992)
2018-02-08	House	Mr. Lance moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
2017-08-04	House	Held at the desk.
2017-08-04	House	Received in the House.
2017-08-04	Senate	Message on Senate action sent to the House.
2017-08-03	Senate	Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4815-4816; text: CR S4815-4816)
2017-03-21	Senate	Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 19.
2017-03-21	Senate	Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune without amendment. With written report No. 115-6.
2017-01-24	Senate	Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
2017-01-11	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

HB460 (Same As) 2017-01-24 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
HB4986 (Related) 2018-03-07 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/96/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s96/BILLS-115s96is.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s96/BILLS-115s96rs.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s96/BILLS-115s96es.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s96/BILLS-115s96enr.pdf