[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 96 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.96

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen


                                 An Act


 
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,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Rural Call Quality and 
Reliability Act of 2017''.
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.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.