Communications and Technology Alert: NG911 Capitol Hill Event; Signal Booster Petition for Rulemaking; DNO Call Blocking List Effective Date; Broadband Permitting House Hearing [Volume XXII, Issue 38]

Next Generation 911 Institute Hosts Event on Capitol Hill

Last week, the NG9-1-1 Institute hosted an event in Washington D.C. that aimed to inform congressional staff about the impact Next Generation 911 (NG911) technologies can make on public safety in the United States. Staff were given the opportunity to tour a mobile public safety answering point (PSAP) and 911 dispatchers walked them through real world examples of how 911 calls are handled more efficiently using NG911 technology. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).

Commission Seeks Comment on Signal Booster Petition for Rulemaking

Last Tuesday, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) issued a Public Notice requesting comment on a petition for rulemaking calling for regulatory overhauls of the Part 90 rules governing industrial signal boosters. Petitioners are specifically requesting the Commission revise Section 90.129, which requires signal booster operations to obtain “express consent” from the licensee who holds the frequencies the booster is re-transmitting and calls for a new framework to help track and manage consents. Additionally, petitioners are requesting the Commission require both Class A and B operators to register in a database, as well as update manufacturer labeling rules. Comments are due by October 16, 2025, and reply comments are due by October 21, 2025. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).

Commission Announces Effective Date for DNO Call-Blocking Regulations

Last Monday, the Commission announced in the Federal Register that December 15th would be the effective date for an Eighth Report and Order implementing new rules expanding do-not-originate (DNO) call blocking requirements to “all U.S.-based providers in the call path,” rather than applying only to the gateway provider. The Commission mandated the maintenance of a DNO list by all providers to ensure voice customers are adequately protected from illegal calls. The final rule also established Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) code 603+ as the exclusive code for alerting callers when providers block a call based on reasonable analytics. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).

House Committee Considers Bills to Expedite Broadband Permitting

Last week, the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to discuss proposals to expedite broadband permitting. The Subcommittee reviewed 29 bills that spanned a wide range of issues from speeding up BEAD deployments and reducing right-of-way access fees, to excepting certain types of telecommunications infrastructure from environmental and historical preservation reviews. For more information, please contact Casey Lide (lide@khlaw.com; 202.434.4186) or Sean Stokes (stokes@khlaw.com; 202.434.4193).  

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