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| Wilson Supports Updated Telecommunications Bills |
October 30, 2007 |
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Several bills marked-up by Energy and Commerce Committee today
Washington, D.C. – The House Energy and Commerce Committee marked-up a number of bills today that would make necessary changes and updates to existing telecommunications laws. Congresswoman Heather Wilson supported these bills, all of which passed the committee and will soon be considered on the House floor.
Those under consideration included the Do-Not-Call Fee Registry Extension Act of 2007, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, the 911 Modernization Act of 2007, and the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007, of which Wilson is an original cosponsor.
“These bills are an important step in keeping our telecommunications laws up-to-date, and extending programs that are essential for the people of New Mexico,” said Wilson. “By improving the popular Do-Not-Call program, 911 emergency access, and the availability of broadband internet access, we are ensuring our telecommunication laws stay current and modern.”
Listed below is a summary of the telecommunications legislation marked-up today by the Energy and Commerce Committee:
• H.R. 2601, the Do-Not-Call Fee Registry Extension Act of 2007 – This bill grants the FTC permanent authority to charge telemarketers the annual fees that support the program. The registry is free to consumers because direct-marketing companies pay the bill. The FTC’s authority to assess the fees that fund the registry expired at the end of FY 07 under the original do-not-call law.
• H.R. 3541, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007 – The FTC operates the do-not-call list that protects 145 million register numbers from unsolicited calls. The FTC policy of a five year limit has expired which was intended to keep the registry free of invalid phone numbers. This legislation would prevent the FTC from automatically removing a number from the list. The legislation would require the FTC to eliminate disconnected numbers or reassigned numbers from the database every 2 weeks instead of every month.
• H.R. 3403, the 911 Modernization Act of 2007 – The legislation would allow Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) access to the E911 infrastructure. This will ensure that consumers using VoIP have the ability to place E911 phone calls. Furthermore, the legislation would extend existing liability protections to VoIP service.
• H.R. 3919, the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007 – The Broadband Census Act of 2007 provides for a detailed and comprehensive census of broadband availability across the nation. The bill also directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish a grant program to assist local communities in assessing their broadband capabilities. Wilson is an original co-sponsor of this legislation.
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