Kari's Law Reporting Act
Kari's Law Reporting Act would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish a public report within 180 days after enactment analyzing how well the Kari's Law Act of 2017 (specifically Section 721 of the Communications Act) is being enforced for multi-line telephone systems (MLTS). The report must assess how much MLTS manufacturers and vendors are complying with the requirement, identify any difficulties in compliance, suggest ways to strengthen FCC enforcement if needed, and provide recommendations to Congress on potential further legislation to address problems related to Section 721. In short, the bill adds a formal, public accountability mechanism to review and improve enforcement of direct 911 dialing from MLTS. The bill defines key terms and directs the FCC to make the report publicly available on its website. It does not itself change substantive 911 dialing requirements; rather, it focuses on evaluating and reporting on how well those existing requirements are being implemented and where improvements may be needed.
Key Points
- 1The bill is titled the “Kari's Law Reporting Act” and directs the FCC to publish a public report on enforcement of Section 721 of the Communications Act (Kari’s Law) within 180 days of enactment.
- 2The report must include a summary of the extent of compliance by multi-line telephone system manufacturers and vendors with Section 721.
- 3The report must describe potential difficulties and obstacles to compliance with Section 721.
- 4The report must offer potential ways to improve FCC policies to better enforce Section 721.
- 5The report must include recommendations to Congress on potential further legislation to address problems related to Section 721, if necessary.
- 6Definitions included: “Commission” means the FCC, and “multi-line telephone system” means the term as defined in 47 U.S.C. 623(f).