[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 827 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 687
114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 827

                          [Report No. 114-383]

  To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of 
      voice communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable 
discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such 
                            communications.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 19, 2015

 Ms. Klobuchar (for herself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Franken, Mr. 
 King, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Ernst, Mr. Leahy, 
and Mr. Thune) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                           November 28, 2016

                Reported by Mr. Thune, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of 
      voice communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable 
discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such 
                            communications.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Rural Call 
Quality and Reliability Act of 2015''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE 
              COMMUNICATIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Part II of title II of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``SEC. 262. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE 
              COMMUNICATIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Registration and Compliance by Intermediate 
Providers.--An intermediate provider that offers or holds itself out as 
offering the capability to transmit covered voice communications from 
one destination to another and that charges any rate to any other 
entity (including an affiliated entity) for the transmission shall--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) register with the Commission; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) comply with the service quality standards 
        for such transmission to be established by the Commission under 
        subsection (c)(1)(B).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Required Use of Registered Intermediate Providers.--
A covered provider may not use an intermediate provider to transmit 
covered voice communications unless such intermediate provider is 
registered under subsection (a)(1).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Commission Rules.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this section, the Commission shall 
        promulgate rules to establish--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) a registry to record registrations 
                under subsection (a)(1); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) service quality standards for the 
                transmission of covered voice communications by 
                intermediate providers.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Requirements.--In promulgating the rules 
        required by paragraph (1), the Commission shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) ensure the integrity of the 
                transmission of covered voice communications to all 
                customers in the United States; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) prevent unjust or unreasonable 
                discrimination among areas of the United States in the 
                delivery of covered voice communications.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(d) Public Availability of Registry.--The Commission 
shall make the registry established under subsection (c)(1)(A) publicly 
available on the website of the Commission.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Scope of Application.--The requirements of this 
section shall apply regardless of the format by which any communication 
or service is provided, the protocol or format by which the 
transmission of such communication or service is achieved, or the 
regulatory classification of such communication or service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to affect the regulatory classification of any 
communication or service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(g) Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to preempt the authority of a State public utility 
commission or other relevant State agency to collect data, or 
investigate and enforce State law and regulations, regarding the 
completion of intrastate voice communications, regardless of the format 
by which any communication or service is provided, the protocol or 
format by which the transmission of such communication or service is 
achieved, or the regulatory classification of such communication or 
service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) Covered provider.--The term `covered 
        provider' has the meaning given the term in section 64.2101 of 
        title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
        thereto.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Covered voice communication.--The term 
        `covered voice communication' means a voice communication 
        (including any related signaling information) that is 
        generated--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) from the placement of a call from a 
                connection using a North American Numbering Plan 
                resource or a call placed to a connection using such a 
                numbering resource; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) through any service provided by a 
                covered provider.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Intermediate provider.--The term 
        `intermediate provider' means any entity that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) carries or processes traffic that is 
                generated from the placement of a call from a 
                connection using a North American Numbering Plan 
                resource or a call placed to a connection using such a 
                numbering resource; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) does not itself originate or 
                terminate such traffic in the context of the carriage 
                or processing.''.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Rural Call Quality and 
Reliability Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMUNICATIONS.

    Part II of title II of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 262. ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF VOICE COMMUNICATIONS.

    ``(a) Registration and Compliance by Intermediate Providers.--An 
intermediate provider that offers or holds itself out as offering the 
capability to transmit covered voice communications from one 
destination to another and that charges any rate to any other entity 
(including an affiliated entity) for the transmission shall--
            ``(1) register with the Commission; and
            ``(2) comply with the service quality standards for such 
        transmission to be established by the Commission under 
        subsection (c)(1)(B).
    ``(b) Required Use of Registered Intermediate Providers.--A covered 
provider may not use an intermediate provider to transmit covered voice 
communications unless such intermediate provider is registered under 
subsection (a)(1).
    ``(c) Commission Rules.--
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Registry.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall 
                promulgate rules to establish a registry to record 
                registrations under subsection (a)(1).
                    ``(B) Service quality standards.--Not later than 1 
                year after the date of enactment of this section, the 
                Commission shall promulgate rules to establish service 
                quality standards for the transmission of covered voice 
                communications by intermediate providers.
            ``(2) Requirements.--In promulgating the rules required by 
        paragraph (1), the Commission shall--
                    ``(A) ensure the integrity of the transmission of 
                covered voice communications to all customers in the 
                United States; and
                    ``(B) prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination 
                among areas of the United States in the delivery of 
                covered voice communications.
    ``(d) Public Availability of Registry.--The Commission shall make 
the registry established under subsection (c)(1)(A) publicly available 
on the website of the Commission.
    ``(e) Scope of Application.--The requirements of this section shall 
apply regardless of the format by which any communication or service is 
provided, the protocol or format by which the transmission of such 
communication or service is achieved, or the regulatory classification 
of such communication or service.
    ``(f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to affect the regulatory classification of any communication 
or service.
    ``(g) Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to preempt or expand the authority of a State public utility 
commission or other relevant State agency to collect data, or 
investigate and enforce State law and regulations, regarding the 
completion of intrastate voice communications, regardless of the format 
by which any communication or service is provided, the protocol or 
format by which the transmission of such communication or service is 
achieved, or the regulatory classification of such communication or 
service.
    ``(h) Exception.--The requirement under subsection (a)(2) to comply 
with the service quality standards established under subsection 
(c)(1)(B) shall not apply to a covered provider that--
            ``(1) on or before the date that is 1 year after the date 
        of enactment of this section, has certified as a Safe Harbor 
        provider under section 64.2107(a) of title 47, Code of Federal 
        Regulations, or any successor regulation; and
            ``(2) continues to meet the requirements under such section 
        64.2107(a).
    ``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered provider.--The term `covered provider' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 64.2101 of title 47, Code 
        of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto.
            ``(2) Covered voice communication.--The term `covered voice 
        communication' means a voice communication (including any 
        related signaling information) that is generated--
                    ``(A) from the placement of a call from a 
                connection using a North American Numbering Plan 
                resource or a call placed to a connection using such a 
                numbering resource; and
                    ``(B) through any service provided by a covered 
                provider.
            ``(3) Intermediate provider.--The term `intermediate 
        provider' means any entity that--
                    ``(A) enters into a business arrangement with a 
                covered provider or other intermediate provider for the 
                specific purpose of carrying, routing, or transmitting 
                voice traffic that is generated from the placement of a 
                call placed--
                            ``(i) from an end user connection using a 
                        North American Numbering Plan resource; or
                            ``(ii) to an end user connection using such 
                        a numbering resource; and
                    ``(B) does not itself, either directly or in 
                conjunction with an affiliate, serve as a covered 
                provider in the context of originating or terminating a 
                given call.''.
                                                       Calendar No. 687

114th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 827

                          [Report No. 114-383]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of 
      voice communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable 
discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such 
                            communications.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           November 28, 2016

                       Reported with an amendment