FCC Plans to Consider Georouting, Hearing Aids

At its October 17th Meeting, the FCC plans to consider an Order which would require calls made to the “988” Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to be routed to local centers based on the geographic origination of the call. This “georouting” would connect a caller to the geographically appropriate crisis center based on the caller’s general location as opposed to routing a call based on the area code of the phone call. Additionally, the FCC will consider an Order to ensure all wireless headsets are equipped with cellphone-hearing-aid compatibility (HAC), building off previous requirements for only 85% of handset models to be compliant. 

$6 Million for Robocall Violations

The FCC adopted a $6 million dollar fine against a political consultant for illegal robocalls made using Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)-generated voice cloning technology and caller ID spoofing. The offending political consultant used the robocalls to attempt to spread election misinformation to New Hampshire voters in advance of the state’s primary elections. The Truth in Caller ID Act makes spoofed calls illegal when made with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. Additionally, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s restrictions on calls using an “artificial or prerecorded voice” apply to calls using AI-generated voices. The political consultant must pay the fine within 30 days or the matter will be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

NG911 Rules Compliance Date Set

The FCC’s Next Generation 911 (“NG911”) transition rules were published in the Federal Register last week [Vol XXI, Issue 30]. The FCC will require OSPs to transition to NG911 in two phases upon a valid request from a 911 authority. In phase one, OSPs must deliver 911 traffic in IP-based Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”) format and in phase two, OSPs must adhere to NG911 commonly accepted standards when delivering calls in SIP format. The rules go into effect on November 25, 2024, aside from certain provisions for which compliance is not required while the Office of Management and Budget conducts a review. 

Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, South Carolina Receive BEAD Approvals

Last week, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota and South Carolina received NTIA approval on their BEAD Initial Proposals Volumes 1-2. BEAD funding will be used to enhance and expand high-speed Internet access across the country, supporting infrastructure, mapping, and outreach projects. All 56 eligible jurisdictions have submitted initial proposals, and each jurisdiction has one year from approval of its initial proposal to submit a final proposal. 

Jackson T. Cherner, Thomas B. Magee, Tracy P. Marshall, Sean A. Stokes, and Wesley K. Wright also contributed to this article.