House Communications Subcommittee Advances Two Telecom Bills

House Communications Subcommittee approved two measures: one aimed at improving call reliability in rural areas and another that would make it illegal for anyone outside the country to fake their caller identification information when texting someone inside the US. The subcommittee advanced both bills by voice vote. The measures now await consideration by the full committee. The rural call reliability legislation (HR 2566), advanced after the panel approved a substitute amendment that brought the bill in line with a similar measure in the Senate (S 827). The House bill would require intermediate providers to register with the Federal Communications Commission, which in turn would create standards aimed at ensuring better phone call quality in rural areas. The substitute amendment was adopted in an effort to give the bill a better chance at becoming law, according to Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR). “In addition to improving the substance of this bill, this amendment will also bring our legislation in line with the language of the bill currently making its way through the Senate,” Chairman Walden said at the markup. “It is a priority that we get this legislation passed into law, and by mirroring the text of the Senate that they’ve adopted coming out of committee, we’ve very much increased our odds that this will happen.” The Senate Commerce Committee in June advanced the version sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). That measure awaits action from the full Senate.

The second bill (HR 2669) would make it illegal for individuals or entities abroad to send text messages with fraudulent caller identification information to someone in the US. Currently, it’s illegal only for text messages that originate in the US.