II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2061 

To further deployment of Next Generation 9–1–1 services to enhance and 

upgrade the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 2, 2017 

Mr. NELSON (for himself and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To further deployment of Next Generation 9–1–1 services 

to enhance and upgrade the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Next Generation 9– 

5 1–1 Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) The Nation’s 9–1–1 systems, while a model 

9 for the entire world, lack the advanced functionality, 


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1 interoperability, and capabilities that come with the 

2 adoption of new, digital communications tech3 nologies. 

4 (2) Communications technologies currently 

5 available to the public, including first responders 

6 and other public safety personnel, have substantially 

7 outpaced the legacy communications technologies 

8 still used by most public safety answering points in 

9 the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems. 

10 (3) This lack of modern technology, when cou11 pled with other challenges, is impacting the ability of 

12 the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems to efficiently and effec13 tively provide responses to emergencies. 

14 (4) Modernizing the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems to 

15 incorporate the new and evolving capabilities of 

16 broadband voice and data communications is essen17 tial for the safety and security of the public, includ18 ing first responders and other public safety per19 sonnel. 

20 (5) Efforts to modernize the Nation’s 9–1–1 

21 systems to date, while laudable and important, have 

22 been limited due to a lack of funding and incon23 sistent or unclear policies related to the governance, 

24 deployment, and operations of Next Generation 9–1– 

25 1 services. 


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1 (6) A nationwide strategy for Next Generation 

2 9–1–1 services has become essential to help guide 

3 the transition and create a common framework for 

4 implementation of Next Generation 9–1–1 services 

5 while preserving State, regional, and local control 

6 over the governance and technology choices of the 

7 Nation’s 9–1–1 systems. 

8 (7) Accelerated implementation of Next Genera9 tion 9–1–1 services will— 

10 (A) increase compatibility with emerging 

11 communications trends; 

12 (B) enhance the flexibility, reliability, and 

13 survivability of the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems dur14 ing major incidents; 

15 (C) improve emergency response for the 

16 public, including first responders and other 

17 public safety personnel; 

18 (D) promote the functional interconnection 

19 of the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems with the wireless 

20 nationwide public safety broadband network 

21 being deployed by the First Responder Network 

22 Authority; and 

23 (E) increase the cost effectiveness of oper24 ating the Nation’s 9–1–1 systems. 


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1 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the Nation’s 9–1–1 professionals perform 

4 important and lifesaving work every day, and need 

5 the tools and communications technologies to per6 form the work effectively in a world with new, digital 

7 communications technologies; 

8 (2) the transition from the legacy communica9 tions technologies used in the Nation’s 9–1–1 sys10 tems to Next Generation 9–1–1 services is a na11 tional priority and a national imperative; 

12 (3) the Nation should complete the transition 

13 described in paragraph (2) as soon as practicable, 

14 with the goal of having full implementation of Next 

15 Generation 9–1–1 services not later than 10 years 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act; 

17 (4) the Nation should develop a framework that 

18 facilitates cooperation among Federal, State, and 

19 local officials on deployment of Next Generation 9– 

20 1–1 services in order to meet that goal; and 

21 (5) 9–1–1 authorities and the public safety an22 swering points should have sufficient resources to 

23 implement Next Generation 9–1–1 services, includ24 ing resources to support associated geographic infor25 mation systems (commonly known as ‘‘GIS’’), cyber26 security measures, and the necessary training and 


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1 workforce to manage these advanced communica2 tions capabilities. 

3 SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 It is the policy of the United States that— 

5 (1) Next Generation 9–1–1 services should be 

6 technologically and competitively neutral; 

7 (2) Next Generation 9–1–1 services should have 

8 seamless interoperability, including with respect to 

9 the transferability of information among public safe10 ty answering points; 

11 (3) the design and implementation of Next Gen12 eration 9–1–1 services should conform to accredited, 

13 non-proprietary, consensus-based standards; 

14 (4) the governance and control of the Nation’s 

15 9–1–1 systems, including Next Generation 9–1–1 

16 services, should remain at the State, regional, and 

17 local level; and 

18 (5) the American public should receive informa19 tion on how to best utilize Next Generation 9–1–1 

20 services and on the capabilities and usefulness of 

21 those services. 

22 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act: 


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1 (1) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist2 ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 

3 Commerce for Communications and Information. 

4 (2) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the Ad5 visory Board for Next Generation 9–1–1 Interoper6 ability established under section 7 of this Act. 

7 (3) FIRST RESPONDER NETWORK AUTHOR8 ITY.—The term ‘‘First Responder Network Author9 ity’’ has the meaning given the term in section 6001 

10 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act 

11 of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401). 

12 (4) NATIONWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND

13 NETWORK.—The term ‘‘nationwide public safety 

14 broadband network’’ has the meaning given the term 

15 in section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and 

16 Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401). 

17 (5) NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 SERVICES.—The 

18 term ‘‘Next Generation 9–1–1 services’’ has the 

19 meaning given the term in section 158 of the Na20 tional Telecommunications and Information Admin21 istration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942), as 

22 amended pursuant to this Act. 

23 (6) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the 9– 

24 1–1 Implementation Coordination Office established 

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1 cations and Information Administration Organiza2 tion Act (47 U.S.C. 942). 

3 (7) PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT.—The 

4 term ‘‘public safety answering point’’ has the mean5 ing given the term in section 222 of the Communica6 tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 222). 

7 (8) SEAMLESS INTEROPERABILITY.—The term 

8 ‘‘seamless interoperability’’ means that all networks, 

9 services, and equipment are interoperable and capa10 ble of seamlessly exchanging and processing data, 

11 including interoperability among and between— 

12 (A) public service answering points; 

13 (B) emergency services internet protocol 

14 networks; 

15 (C) State, regions, localities, and other ju16 risdictions; 

17 (D) originating communications networks, 

18 including wireline telecommunications networks, 

19 wireless telecommunications networks, internet 

20 service providers, and voice over internet pro21 tocol service networks; and 

22 (E) the nationwide public safety broadband 

23 network. 


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1 SEC. 6. 9–1–1 IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATION OFFICE. 

2 (a) ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—In addition to 

3 the responsibilities assigned to the Office under section 

4 158 of the National Telecommunications and Information 

5 Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942), the Of6 fice shall— 

7 (1) create a clearinghouse of information that 

8 contains resources and references for both technical 

9 and nontechnical aspects of development and deploy10 ment of Next Generation 9–1–1 services for Federal, 

11 State, regional, and local entities to assist with the 

12 development and deployment of such services; 

13 (2) provide guidance to Federal, State, regional, 

14 and local entities with the development and deploy15 ment of Next Generation 9–1–1 services, including 

16 with respect to— 

17 (A) model governance structures for Next 

18 Generation 9–1–1 services; 

19 (B) network deployment models for seam20 less interoperability of Next Generation 9–1–1 

21 services; and 

22 (C) sustainable funding models for Next 

23 Generation 9–1–1 services; 

24 (3) help Federal, State, regional, and local 9– 

25 1–1 entities coordinate acquisitions and procure26 ments related to the deployment of Next Generation 


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1 9–1–1 services, including the development of model 

2 requests for proposals and related documents; 

3 (4) work with the General Services Administra4 tion to determine the feasibility of allowing State, 

5 regional, and local entities to take advantage of any 

6 relevant General Services Administration blanket 

7 purchase agreements for acquisition of equipment 

8 related to Next Generation 9–1–1 services; and 

9 (5) work with all relevant Federal departments 

10 and agencies that operate public safety answering 

11 points to promote implementation of Next Genera12 tion 9–1–1 services and effective seamless interoper13 ability with other 9–1–1 systems, including Next 

14 Generation 9–1–1 services operated by Federal, 

15 State, regional, and local entities. 

16 (b) COORDINATION.—The Office shall work with all 

17 relevant Federal departments and agencies, including the 

18 Federal Communications Commission, the National Insti19 tute of Standards and Technology, the National Highway 

20 Traffic Safety Administration, the First Responder Net21 work Authority, and the Department of Homeland Secu22 rity, to coordinate Federal Government activities related 

23 to the development and deployment of Next Generation 

24 9–1–1 services at the Federal, State, regional, and local 

25 level. 


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1 (c) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 2 

3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and 

4 annually thereafter, the Office shall prepare a com5 prehensive report on the status of the implementa6 tion of Next Generation 9–1–1 services by Federal, 

7 State, regional, and local entities. 

8 (2) PUBLICATION.—Each report under para9 graph (1) shall be published online and submitted to 

10 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans11 portation of the Senate and the Committee on En12 ergy and Commerce of the House of Representa13 tives. 

14 (3) COMBINATION OF EXISTING REPORTS.—To 

15 the extent that the Office is required by law to issue 

16 other reports, such reports may be combined with a 

17 report under paragraph (1). 

18 (4) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION.—The Office 

19 may require, as part of a grant issued by the Office 

20 under this Act or any other Act, that a grant recipi21 ent provide such information as the Office considers 

22 necessary to prepare a report under paragraph (1). 

23 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

25 such sums as may be necessary. 


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1 (e) REPEAL OF SUNSET.—Section 158(d) of the Na2 tional Telecommunications and Information Administra3 tion Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942(d)) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—’’ and in5 denting appropriately; and 

6 (2) by striking paragraph (2). 

7 SEC. 7. ADVISORY BOARD FOR NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 

8 INTEROPERABILITY. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

10 the Office the ‘‘Advisory Board for Next Generation 9– 

11 1–1 Interoperability’’ to recommend updates to the defini12 tion of Next Generation 9–1–1 services under section 8. 

13 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

14 (1) VOTING MEMBERS.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara16 graphs (B) and (C), not later than 30 days 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec18 retary of Commerce, in coordination with the 

19 Secretary of Transportation, shall appoint 17 

20 voting members to the Board. 

21 (B) APPOINTMENTS.—In making appoint22 ments under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 

23 shall appoint— 

24 (i) 5 members who represent 9–1–1 

25 professionals; 


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1 (ii) 4 members who represent compa2 nies offering services that originate com3 munications to 9–1–1 systems, including 

4 wireline telecommunications providers, 

5 wireless telecommunications providers, 

6 internet service providers, and voice over 

7 internet protocol service providers; 

8 (iii) 2 members who represent manu9 facturers and vendors; 

10 (iv) 2 members who represent compa11 nies with expertise in information tech12 nology, networking, and application devel13 opment, including consumer-focused tech14 nologies and services; and 

15 (v) 4 members who represent State, 

16 regional, or local 9–1–1 entities and who 

17 reflect geographic and population density 

18 differences across the United States. 

19 (C) REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS.—All vot20 ing members shall have— 

21 (i) specific expertise and experience 

22 related to Next Generation 9–1–1 systems; 

23 and 

24 (ii) such other specific expertise as the 

25 Secretary considers necessary, such as 


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1 technical expertise, public safety commu2 nications expertise, or commercial network 

3 experience. 

4 (2) NON-VOTING MEMBERS.—The Assistant 

5 Secretary and the Administrator of the National 

6 Highway Traffic Safety Administration shall each 

7 have the authority to appoint 1 non-voting member 

8 to the Board. 

9 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

11 subparagraph (B), each member of the Board 

12 shall be appointed for the life of the Board. 

13 (B) REMOVAL FOR CAUSE.—A member of 

14 the Board may be removed for cause upon the 

15 determination of the Office. 

16 (4) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the membership 

17 of the Board— 

18 (A) shall not affect the powers of the 

19 Board; and 

20 (B) shall be filled in the same manner as 

21 the original appointment. 

22 (5) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

23 The Board shall select a chairperson and vice chair24 person from among the members of the Board. 


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1 (6) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 

2 the Board shall constitute a quorum. 

3 (7) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 

4 Board shall be allowed travel expenses, including per 

5 diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for 

6 employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 

7 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 

8 their homes or regular places of business in the per9 formance of services for the Board. 

10 (c) OFFICE PARTICIPATION.—The Office may name 

11 1 employee of the Office to serve as its liaison to the 

12 Board and to assist the Board as needed in carrying out 

13 its responsibilities under this section. 

14 (d) NONAPPLICATION OF CERTAIN LAWS.—The fol15 lowing law, including regulations, shall not apply to the 

16 operations of the Board: 

17 (1) Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 

18 App.). 

19 (2) Chapter 5 and chapter 7 of title 5, United 

20 States Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Administra21 tive Procedure Act’’). 

22 (3) Chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code 

23 (commonly known as the ‘‘Paperwork Reduction 

24 Act’’). 


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1 (4) Federal Acquisition Regulations (48 C.F.R. 

2 ch. 1). 

3 (e) TERMINATION.—The Board shall terminate on 

4 the date that is 15 days after the date the Office approves 

5 the recommendations under section 8. 

6 SEC. 8. REVISED DEFINITION OF NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 

7 SERVICES. 

8 (a) RECOMMENDED UPDATES TO DEFINITION OF

9 NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 SERVICES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

11 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Board 

12 shall— 

13 (A) review the definition of the term ‘‘Next 

14 Generation 9–1–1 services’’ in section 158 of 

15 the National Telecommunications and Informa16 tion Administration Organization Act (47 

17 U.S.C. 942); 

18 (B) subject to paragraph (2), recommend 

19 such updates to that definition as the Board 

20 considers necessary; and 

21 (C) submit to the Office the recommenda22 tions under subparagraph (B). 

23 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In recommending up24 dates to the definition described in paragraph (1), 

25 the Board shall consider— 


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1 (A) the need for the definition to— 

2 (i) cover systems based on various 

3 internet protocols, including Transmission 

4 Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (or any 

5 corresponding similar communication lan6 guage or protocol of the internet); 

7 (ii) include support for all forms of 

8 emergency communications technologies; 

9 (iii) ensure seamless interoperability; 

10 (iv) incorporate the need to provide a 

11 secure environment for emergency commu12 nications, including relevant cybersecurity 

13 measures; and 

14 (v) incorporate the need to include 

15 support for geographic information sys16 tems; and 

17 (B) such other issues as the Board con18 siders relevant to the definition. 

19 (b) APPROVAL OF RECOMMENDATIONS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

21 not later than 45 days after the date the Board sub22 mits the recommendations under subsection (a)(1), 

23 the Office shall approve the recommendations, with 

24 any revisions it considers necessary, and transmit 

25 the recommendations to the Assistant Secretary and 


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1 the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic 

2 Safety Administration. 

3 (2) PUBLIC COMMENT.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall pro5 vide the public with notice and an opportunity 

6 to comment on the recommendations developed 

7 by the Board under this section prior to their 

8 approval. 

9 (B) FURTHER BOARD CONSIDERATION.— 

10 After such public comment period has closed, 

11 the Office may refer questions raised by those 

12 comments to the Board for further consider13 ation, including amendment of the rec14 ommendations submitted by the Board. 

15 (c) REVISION OF DEFINITION.—The Assistant Sec16 retary and the Administrator of the National Highway 

17 Traffic Safety Administration shall revise the definition 

18 of the term ‘‘Next Generation 9–1–1 services’’ in section 

19 158 of the National Telecommunications and Information 

20 Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942), based 

21 on the approved recommendations under subsection (b) of 

22 this section, as part of the rulemaking under section 9(e) 

23 of this Act. 

24 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 158(e)(5) of the Na2 tional Telecommunications and Information Admin3 istration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942(e)(5)) is 

4 amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(5) NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 SERVICES.—The 

6 term ‘Next Generation 9–1–1 services’ has the 

7 meaning given the term by the Assistant Secretary 

8 and the Administrator of the National Highway 

9 Traffic Safety Administration in the final rule pub10 lished under section 8(c) of the Next Generation 9– 

11 1–1 Act of 2017.’’. 

12 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment under 

13 paragraph (1) of this subsection shall take effect on 

14 the date that a final rule is published under sub15 section (c). 

16 SEC. 9. NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 GRANT PROGRAM. 

17 (a) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 (1) SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT.—Section 

19 158(b)(3)(A) of the National Telecommunications 

20 and Information Administration Organization Act 

21 (47 U.S.C. 942(b)(3)(A)) is amended by amending 

22 clause (ii) to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(ii) has designated a single officer or 

24 governance body to serve as the State 

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1 mentation of Next Generation 9–1–1 serv2 ices for that State;’’. 

3 (2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—Section 

4 158(b)(3)(A) of the National Telecommunications 

5 and Information Administration Organization Act 

6 (47 U.S.C. 942(b)(3)(A)) is amended— 

7 (A) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

8 inserting a semicolon; 

9 (B) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

10 end; and 

11 (C) adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(v) has developed and submitted a 

13 State plan for deployment of Next Genera14 tion 9–1–1 services that— 

15 ‘‘(I) uses an accredited, non-pro16 prietary, consensus-based, standards17 based approach in the design, deploy18 ment, and implementation of all as19 pects of such services; 

20 ‘‘(II) incorporates the use of ef21 fective cybersecurity resources; 

22 ‘‘(III) uses open and competitive 

23 request for proposal processes, or the 

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1 ployment of Next Generation 9–1–1 

2 services; 

3 ‘‘(IV) includes input from rel4 evant public safety answering points, 

5 regional authorities, local authorities, 

6 and tribal authorities; 

7 ‘‘(V) includes a governance body 

8 or bodies for the development and de9 ployment of Next Generation 9–1–1 

10 services that— 

11 ‘‘(aa) includes relevant 

12 stakeholders; and 

13 ‘‘(bb) consults and coordi14 nates with the State point of con15 tact required by clause (ii); and 

16 ‘‘(VI) ensures sufficient staffing 

17 and training of staff at all levels to 

18 ensure the effectiveness of all aspects 

19 of Next Generation 9–1–1 services; 

20 or’’. 

21 (b) GRANT COMMITMENTS.—Section 158(b) of the 

22 National Telecommunications and Information Adminis23 tration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942(b)) is amended 

24 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL GRANT CERTIFICATIONS.—In 

2 addition to the certification required under sub3 section (c)(2), each applicant for a matching grant 

4 under this section, at the time of application, and 

5 each applicant that receives a grant shall certify 

6 that— 

7 ‘‘(A) any funds received by the applicant 

8 will be utilized to support deployment of Next 

9 Generation 9–1–1 services that comply with ac10 credited, non-proprietary, consensus-based 

11 standards and feature seamless interoperability 

12 (as defined in section 5 of the Next Generation 

13 9–1–1 Act of 2017); 

14 ‘‘(B) the applicant has taken all necessary 

15 steps to ensure that there is a sustainable fund16 ing mechanism for the Next Generation 9–1–1 

17 services to be deployed pursuant to the grant to 

18 support continued operations, maintenance, and 

19 upgrades; 

20 ‘‘(C) the applicant will coordinate with the 

21 First Responder Network Authority to ensure 

22 that the implementation of Next Generation 9– 

23 1–1 services will be fully interoperable with the 

24 nationwide public safety broadband network (as 

25 defined in section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax 


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1 Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 

2 1401)); 

3 ‘‘(D) the applicant has or will take steps to 

4 coordinate with adjoining States to establish 

5 and maintain interoperable and interconnected 

6 Next Generation 9–1–1 services; and 

7 ‘‘(E) the applicant has developed a plan 

8 for public outreach and education on how to 

9 best utilize Next Generation 9–1–1 services and 

10 on the capabilities and usefulness of those serv11 ices. 

12 ‘‘(6) PROHIBITION.—No grant funds under this 

13 subsection may be used— 

14 ‘‘(A) for any component of the nationwide 

15 public safety broadband network (as defined in 

16 section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief 

17 and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 

18 1401)); or 

19 ‘‘(B) to make any payments to a person 

20 who has been, for reasons of national security, 

21 prohibited by any department or agency of the 

22 Federal Government from bidding on a con23 tract, participating in an auction, or receiving a 

24 grant.’’. 


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1 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 158 of the 

2 National Telecommunications and Information Adminis3 tration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; 

7 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

9 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

10 and’’; and 

11 (iii) by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(D) administrative costs associated with 

14 planning and implementation of Next Genera15 tion 9–1–1 services, including related to plan16 ning for and preparing an application and re17 lated materials as required by this section, if— 

18 ‘‘(i) such costs are fully documented 

19 in materials submitted to the Office; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) such costs are reasonable and 

21 necessary and do not exceed 5 percent of 

22 the total grant award.’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking ‘‘the 

24 entity has complied with clauses (i), (iii), and 

25 (iv) of subparagraph (A), and the State in 


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1 which it is located has complied with clause (ii) 

2 of such subparagraph’’ and inserting ‘‘the enti3 ty has complied with clauses (i), (iii), and (iv), 

4 and the State in which it is located has com5 plied with clauses (ii) and (v) of such subpara6 graph’’; and 

7 (2) by amending subsection (e)(3)(C) to read as 

8 follows: 

9 ‘‘(C) EXCEPTION.—The term ‘eligible enti10 ty’ does not include any entity that has failed 

11 to submit— 

12 ‘‘(i) the certifications required under 

13 subsection (b)(5); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) the most recently required cer15 tification under subsection (c) within 30 

16 days after the date on which such certifi17 cation is due.’’. 

18 (d) ADJUSTMENT OF MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

19 Section 158(b)(2) of the National Telecommunications 

20 and Information Administration Organization Act (47 

21 U.S.C. 942(b)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘60’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘80’’. 

23 (e) CRITERIA.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 months 

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1 ant Secretary and the Administrator of the National 

2 Highway Traffic Safety Administration shall issue 

3 regulations, after providing the public with notice 

4 and an opportunity to comment, prescribing the cri5 teria for selection for grants under section 158 of 

6 the National Telecommunications and Information 

7 Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942), 

8 as amended by this Act. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The criteria shall— 

10 (A) include performance requirements and 

11 a schedule for completion of any project to be 

12 financed by a grant under that section; and 

13 (B) specifically permit joint, regional, or 

14 multi-State applications for funds. 

15 (3) UPDATES.—The Assistant Secretary and 

16 the Administrator shall update such regulations as 

17 necessary. 

18 (4) PRIOR REGULATIONS.—Any regulations 

19 issued under section 158(b)(4) of the National Tele20 communications and Information Administration Or21 ganization Act (47 U.S.C. 942(b)(4)) before the ef22 fective date of this Act may be incorporated into the 

23 regulations promulgated under this subsection. 

24 (5) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

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1 formation Administration Organization Act (47 

2 U.S.C. 942(b)) is amended by striking paragraph 

3 (4). 

4 (f) ISSUANCE OF GUIDANCE.—Not later than 18 

5 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Office 

6 shall issue guidance, consistent with the regulations pro7 mulgated under subsection (e) of this section, regarding 

8 the grant program under section 158 of the National Tele9 communications and Information Administration Organi10 zation Act (47 U.S.C. 942), as amended by this Act. 

11 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any funds al13 ready made available for grants under section 158 of 

14 the National Telecommunications and Information 

15 Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942), 

16 there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 such grants such sums as may be necessary for fis18 cal years 2018 through 2022. 

19 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Any funds appropriated 

20 under this subsection shall remain available until ex21 pended. 

22 (3) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The Office may 

23 utilize up to 5 percent of the funds appropriated 

24 under this subsection for reasonable and necessary 

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1 gram required by section 158 of the National Tele2 communications and Information Administration Or3 ganization Act (47 U.S.C. 942), as amended by this 

4 Act. 

5 (h) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this Act or an 

6 amendment made by this Act shall affect any application 

7 pending or grant awarded under section 158 of the Na8 tional Telecommunications and Information Administra9 tion Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942) prior to date of 

10 enactment of this Act. 

11 SEC. 10. ENCOURAGING DEPLOYMENT OF NEXT GENERA12 TION 9–1–1 SERVICES. 

13 (a) CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION OF NEXT GEN14 ERATION 9–1–1 SERVICES.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall implement, 

16 to the maximum extent possible, its responsibilities 

17 under this Act in a technologically and competitively 

18 neutral manner. 

19 (2) FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ACTION.— 

20 The Office shall encourage and support efforts by 

21 the Federal Government, States, and localities— 

22 (A) to implement Next Generation 9–1–1 

23 services in a technologically and competitively 

24 neutral manner; and 


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1 (B) to take such other steps as are nec2 essary to harmonize and expedite the deploy3 ment of Next Generation 9–1–1 services. 

4 (b) DEPLOYMENT OF NEXT GENERATION 9–1–1 

5 SERVICES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enact6 ment of this Act, the Office, after seeking public comment, 

7 shall— 

8 (1) identify and recommend such changes to 

9 State and local law, including regulations and poli10 cies, that the Office considers necessary to better 

11 support deployment of Next Generation 9–1–1 serv12 ices; 

13 (2) recommend model language a State or local14 ity can adopt to support deployment of Next Genera15 tion 9–1–1 services; and 

16 (3) report the findings and recommendations. 

17 (c) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Office 

20 shall issue a request for information seeking public 

21 comment on what additional actions the Federal 

22 Government could take to enhance and support Next 

23 Generation 9–1–1 services. 


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1 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—At a minimum, the re2 quest for information required by this subsection 

3 shall seek public comment on— 

4 (A) whether there is a need for a national 

5 public safety answering points certification or 

6 credentialing process with respect to Next Gen7 eration 9–1–1 services; 

8 (B) whether Federal or State law, includ9 ing regulations, should be amended to include— 

10 (i) specific liability and indemnifica11 tion protections for Next Generation 9–1– 

12 1 services; and 

13 (ii) privacy and data security protec14 tions for information conveyed through 

15 Next Generation 9–1–1 services or re16 tained by Next Generation 9–1–1 services; 

17 (C) additional protections to ensure acces18 sibility to Next Generation 9–1–1 services for 

19 individuals with disabilities; and 

20 (D) recommended legislative and regu21 latory action related to subparagraphs (A) 

22 through (C). 

23 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

24 the date of enactment of this Act, the Office shall 

25 publish a report— 


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1 (A) summarizing the comments received in 

2 the request for information required by this sec3 tion; and 

4 (B) including recommendations for such 

5 actions the Office considers necessary to pro6 mote the effective and timely implementation of 

7 Next Generation 9–1–1 services. 

8 SEC. 11. SUPPORT FOR CYBERSECURITY IN NEXT GENERA9 TION 9–1–1 SERVICES. 

10 (a) FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Office, in consultation 

12 with the Department of Homeland Security and the 

13 National Institute for Science and Technology, shall 

14 provide support to States, localities, vendors, and 

15 other entities in addressing cybersecurity issues re16 lated to Next Generation 9–1–1 services. 

17 (2) SPECIFIC ASSISTANCE.—After publishing 

18 the report under subsection (b), the Office shall pro19 vide information, training, and other assistance to 

20 help implement the recommendations in the report. 

21 (b) NIST REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

22 the date of enactment of this Act, the National Institute 

23 of Standards and Technology shall— 


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1 (1) identify any cybersecurity vulnerabilities 

2 that are unique to the implementation of Next Gen3 eration 9–1–1 services; 

4 (2) identify and recommend best practices, con5 sistent with the most recent Framework for Improv6 ing Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, for af7 fected entities to protect Next Generation 9–1–1 

8 services from the vulnerabilities identified under 

9 paragraph (1); 

10 (3) identify and recommend specific assistance 

11 that can be provided by the Federal Government re12 lated to the adoption of any best practices identified 

13 under paragraph (2); and 

14 (4) publish a report on its findings and rec15 ommendations. 

16 (c) FCC REPORT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

18 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal 

19 Communications Commission shall publish a report 

20 on the adoption of and adherence— 

21 (A) by telecommunications carriers to the 

22 network reliability best practices established by 

23 the Commission as part of its rulemaking re24 lated to Improving 911 Reliability; Reliability 

25 and Continuity of Communications Networks, 


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1 Including Broadband Technologies (28 FCC 

2 Record 17476); and 

3 (B) by public safety answering points to 

4 the public safety answering point best practices 

5 for cybersecurity recommended by the Task 

6 Force on Optimal Public Safety Answering 

7 Point Architecture in its final report issued on 

8 February 19, 2016 (DA 16–179). 

9 (2) DATA COLLECTION.—The Federal Commu10 nications Commission may request from relevant 

11 telecommunications carriers and public safety an12 swering points such data as may be necessary to 

13 prepare the report required by this subsection. 

14 (3) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The Federal Commu15 nications Commission shall seek public comment on 

16 the report required by this subsection prior to its 

17 publication. 

18 SEC. 12. GAO STUDY ON THE RESILIENCY OF PUBLIC SAFE19 TY ANSWERING POINTS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

21 United States shall conduct a study regarding the resil22 iency, reliability, and survivability of public safety answer23 ing points during natural disasters and other catas24 trophes. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub2 section (a), the Comptroller General shall— 

3 (1) examine the affect recent natural disasters 

4 or other catastrophes have had on the operability of 

5 public safety answering points; 

6 (2) identify the common issues that impaired 

7 the operations of public safety answering points dur8 ing or after the natural disaster or catastrophe, as 

9 applicable; 

10 (3) identify the current best practices for public 

11 safety answering points and telecommunication car12 riers to ensure the resiliency of public safety answer13 ing points during a natural disaster or other catas14 trophe; and 

15 (4) determine how Next Generation 9–1–1 serv16 ices can improve public safety answering point resil17 iency and the overall resiliency of the Nation’s 9–1– 

18 1 systems. 

19 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

20 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

21 shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

22 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on En23 ergy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a re24 port on the findings of the study under subsection (a), 

25 including any recommendations for additional actions the 


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1 Federal Communications Commission or Congress could 

2 take to enhance public safety answering point resiliency, 

3 reliability, and survivability. 

Æ 


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