[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 132 (Thursday, August 3, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4815-S4816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IMPROVING RURAL CALL QUALITY AND RELIABILITY ACT OF 2017

  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 19, S. 96.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 96) 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.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 96) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was 
read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 96

       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

[[Page S4816]]

     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.''.

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