FIRST RESPONDER Act of 2020

Fee Integrity and Responsibilities and To Regain Essential Spectrum for Public-safety Operators Needed to Deploy Equipment Reliably Act of 2020 or the FIRST RESPONDER Act of 2020

This bill repeals a provision requiring the reallocation of spectrum currently used by public safety entities and otherwise addresses 9–1–1 fees and charges collected for the purpose of supporting 9–1–1 services.

Specifically, the bill repeals the requirement for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reallocate and auction the 470-512 MHz band (referred to as the T-Band spectrum). The T-Band spectrum is a frequency range currently utilized by public safety entities in certain urban areas.

The bill also requires the FCC to issue rules designating acceptable purposes and functions for the obligation or expenditure of 9–1–1 fees or charges. Such purposes and functions shall be limited to the support and implementation of 9–1–1 services and the operational expenses of public safety answering points (i.e., the points where emergency calls are routed).

In addition, the bill establishes the Ending 9–1–1 Fee Diversion Now Strike Force, to which the FCC must submit any evidence it obtains that a state or taxing jurisdiction is diverting 9–1–1 fees or charges. The strike force must (1) study how the federal government can end such diversion through a determination of the effectiveness of laws and other constraints, and (2) consider whether criminal penalties should be implemented to prevent further diversion.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov