I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9569 
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to issue rules for the 
provision of emergency connectivity service, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 15, 2022 
Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio (for himself and Ms. SCHRIER) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to issue 
rules for the provision of emergency connectivity service, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advanced, Local Emer-
gency Response Telecommunications Parity Act’’ or the 
‘‘ALERT Parity Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY SERVICE. 
(a) RULEMAKING REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
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Commission shall issue rules for the provision of 
emergency connectivity service under which— 
(A) a person may submit to the Commis-
sion an application for approval to provide such 
service to an area— 
(i) that is an unserved area with re-
spect to either or both services described in 
subsection (g)(5)(B); or 
(ii) in the event that such area be-
comes an unserved area with respect to ei-
ther or both such services due to destruc-
tion of infrastructure, a power outage, or 
any other reason; and 
(B) for any period during which such ap-
proval is in effect and such area is an unserved 
area, such person will receive access to electro-
magnetic spectrum under subsection (d) to pro-
vide emergency connectivity service to such 
area. 
(2) DEADLINE
TO
INITIATE
RULEMAKING.— 
The Commission shall initiate a rulemaking to issue 
the rules required by paragraph (1) not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) CERTIFICATIONS.—In the rules issued under sub-
section (a), the Commission shall require a person who 
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due to destruction of infrastructure, a power 
outage, or any other reason, after such area be-
comes an unserved area. 
(c) PUBLICATION
OF LIST
OF PROVIDERS.—The 
Commission shall publish on the internet website of the 
Commission a list of all providers of emergency 
connectivity service for which an approval is in effect to 
provide such service under the rules issued under sub-
section (a). 
(d) ACCESS
TO ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM.— 
The Commission shall include in the rules issued under 
subsection (a) service rules that make available, to a pro-
vider of emergency connectivity service for which an ap-
proval to provide such service to an unserved area is in 
effect under the rules issued under such subsection, access 
to electromagnetic spectrum to provide such service to 
such area, to the extent such provider needs such access 
to provide such service. Such service rules shall provide 
that use of electromagnetic spectrum under such service 
rules may not cause harmful interference to the use of 
such spectrum by a licensee who holds a license to use 
such spectrum. 
(e) AREAS UNSERVED WITH RESPECT
TO BOTH 
SERVICES.—In the case of an area that is an unserved 
area with respect to both services described in subsection 
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(g)(5)(B), the rules issued under subsection (a) shall re-
quire that, if a provider for which an approval to provide 
emergency connectivity service to such area is in effect 
under 
such 
rules 
chooses 
to 
provide 
emergency 
connectivity service to such area, such provider shall pro-
vide both services described in subsection (g)(5)(B) to 
such area. 
(f) LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.— 
(1) TRANSMISSION OF ALERT MESSAGES.—Sec-
tion 602(e)(1) of the Warning, Alert, and Response 
Network Act (47 U.S.C. 1201(e)(1)) shall apply to 
a provider of emergency connectivity service (includ-
ing its officers, directors, employees, vendors, and 
agents) with respect to the provision of such service 
(to the extent such service consists of the provision 
of the service described in subsection (g)(5)(B)(i)) in 
accordance with the rules issued under subsection 
(a), as if such provider were a provider of commer-
cial mobile service that transmits alert messages and 
meets its obligations under such Act. 
(2) PROVISION OF 9–1–1 SERVICE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Section 4 of the Wire-
less Communications and Public Safety Act of 
1999 (47 U.S.C. 615a) is amended— 
(i) in subsection (a)— 
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(I) 
by 
inserting 
‘‘emergency 
connectivity service provider,’’ after 
‘‘IP-enabled voice service provider,’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘emergency 
connectivity service,’’ after ‘‘emer-
gency services,’’; 
(ii) in subsection (b)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘IP-enabled voice 
service or’’ and inserting ‘‘IP-enabled 
voice service, emergency connectivity 
service, or’’; and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘emergency 
connectivity service,’’ after ‘‘IP-en-
abled voice service,’’; and 
(iii) in subsection (c), by inserting 
‘‘emergency connectivity service,’’ after 
‘‘IP-enabled voice service,’’ each place it 
appears. 
(B) DEFINITIONS.—Section 7 of the Wire-
less Communications and Public Safety Act of 
1999 (47 U.S.C. 615b) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY SERVICE.— 
The term ‘emergency connectivity service’ has the 
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meaning given such term in paragraph (5) of section 
2(g) of the Advanced, Local Emergency Response 
Telecommunications Parity Act, to the extent such 
service consists of the provision of the service de-
scribed in subparagraph (B)(ii) of such paragraph. 
‘‘(12) EMERGENCY
CONNECTIVITY
SERVICE 
PROVIDER.—The term ‘emergency connectivity serv-
ice provider’ means a person who provides emer-
gency connectivity service in accordance with the 
rules issued under section 2(a) of the Advanced, 
Local Emergency Response Telecommunications 
Parity Act.’’. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ALERT MESSAGE.—The term ‘‘alert mes-
sage’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
10.10 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulation). 
(2) COMMERCIAL MOBILE SERVICE.—The term 
‘‘commercial mobile service’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 332(d) of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)). 
(3) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(4) COVERED DEVICE.—The term ‘‘covered de-
vice’’ means— 
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(A) a mobile device; or 
(B) any other device that is capable of— 
(i) receiving alert messages; and 
(ii) providing emergency information 
to a public safety answering point (which 
may include enhanced 9–1–1 service). 
(5) EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY SERVICE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘emergency 
connectivity service’’ means a service— 
(i) to which covered devices are capa-
ble of connecting— 
(I) without any technical capa-
bility specific to such service; and 
(II) regardless of whether com-
mercial mobile service or any other 
service is initialized on the device; and 
(ii) that consists only of the provision 
of a service described in subparagraph (B) 
to an area that is an unserved area with 
respect to such service, which shall include 
the provision of both such services if such 
area is an unserved area with respect to 
both such services. 
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(B) SERVICES DESCRIBED.—The services 
described in this subparagraph are the fol-
lowing: 
(i) Transmitting alert messages to 
covered devices. 
(ii) Providing emergency information 
from a covered device to a public safety 
answering point (which may include en-
hanced 9–1–1 service). 
(6) ENHANCED 9–1–1 SERVICE.—The term ‘‘en-
hanced 9–1–1 service’’ has the meaning given such 
term in section 7 of the Wireless Communications 
and Public Safety Act of 1999 (47 U.S.C. 615b). 
(7) MOBILE
DEVICE.—The term ‘‘mobile de-
vice’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
10.10 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulation). 
(8) PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT.—The 
term ‘‘public safety answering point’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 7 of the Wireless 
Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (47 
U.S.C. 615b). 
(9) UNSERVED
AREA.—The term ‘‘unserved 
area’’ means, with respect to a service described in 
paragraph (5)(B), an area that, due to lack of infra-
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