DART Act of 2021
Bill: S.357 | Sponsor: Sen. Crapo, Mike (R-ID)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Data Analytics Robocall Technology Act of 2021 or the DART Act of 2021
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider establishing a process for maintaining a list of numbers that are ineligible to be blocked by a voice service provider.
These may include numbers used (1) for outgoing calls by a facility that is designated to originate or route emergency calls, (2) to originate calls from a government entity, or (3) by a school to provide school-related notifications.
The FCC must submit a report containing an analysis of the effectiveness of various categories of call-blocking tools and any legislative recommendations relating to this report.

To require the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a 
     rulemaking to consider establishing a process under which the 
   Commission would maintain a list of numbers that a voice service 
             provider cannot block, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Data Analytics Robocall Technology 
Act of 2021'' or the ``DART Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (2) the term ``covered ruling'' means the ``Declaratory 
        Ruling and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the 
        matter of Advanced Methods to Target and Eliminate Unlawful 
        Robocalls'', adopted by the Commission on June 6, 2019 (FCC 19-
        51; CG Docket No. 17-59);
            (3) the term ``public safety answering point'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 222(h) of the Communications 
        Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 222(h)); and
            (4) the term ``voice service'' means any service that--
                    (A) is interconnected with the public switched 
                telephone network; and
                    (B) furnishes voice communications to an end user 
                using resources from the North American Numbering Plan 
                or any successor to the North American Numbering Plan 
                adopted by the Commission under section 251(e)(1) of 
                the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)(1)).

SEC. 3. RULEMAKING.

     Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking to consider establishing a 
process under which the Commission shall maintain a list of numbers 
that are not eligible to be blocked by a voice service provider, which 
may include a number used--
            (1) for outgoing calls by a public safety answering point 
        or a similar facility that is designated to originate or route 
        emergency calls;
            (2) to originate calls from a government entity, such as a 
        call generated during an emergency;
            (3) by a school, or a similar institution, to provide 
        school-related notifications, such as a notification 
        regarding--
                    (A) a weather-related closure; or
                    (B) the existence of an emergency affecting a 
                school or students attending a school; and
            (4) for similar or emergency purposes, as determined 
        appropriate by the Commission.

SEC. 4. REPORTS ON DEPLOYMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CALL BLOCKING AND 
              CALLER ID AUTHENTICATION.

    Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Commission 
receives any report under paragraph 90 of the covered ruling, the 
Commission shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
of the House of Representatives--
            (1) an analysis by the Commission with respect to the 
        effectiveness of various categories of call blocking tools, as 
        evaluated in the report; and
            (2) any legislative recommendations of the Commission 
        relating to the report.

SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act may be construed to impede or delay the 
analysis by the Commission of the most effective means by which to 
maintain and administer a list of numbers that may not be blocked 
(referred to in the covered ruling as a ``Critical Calls List''), as 
considered in the covered ruling.
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