House Passes Three Communications and Technology Bills

The House of Representatives passed the following bills:

H.R. 6096, the “Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act of 2020,” introduced by Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Pete Olson (R-TX), amends the Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act to classify emergency alerts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a type of alert that commercial mobile service providers may not allow subscribers to block from their devices. The bill also directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt regulations to facilitate coordination with State Emergency Communications Committees in developing and modernizing State Emergency Alert System plans. Finally, the READI Act directs the FCC to examine the feasibility of modernizing the Emergency Alert System by expanding alert distribution to the internet and streaming services.  The bill passed on the House Floor by voice vote.

H.R. 6624, the “Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecommunications Act of 2020,” was introduced by Pallone, Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) and Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Doris Matsui (D-CA). The bill creates a new grant program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to promote technology that enhances supply chain security and market competitiveness in wireless communications networks. The bill passed on the House Floor by voice vote.

H.R. 7310, the “Spectrum IT Modernization Act of 2020,” introduced by Doyle and Communications and Technology Ranking Member Robert Latta (R-OH), as well as Reps. Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Tim Walberg (R-MI), requires NTIA – in consultation with the Policy and Plans Steering Group – to submit to Congress a report on its plans to modernize agency information technology systems relating to managing the use of federal spectrum. The bill passed on the House Floor by voice vote.