Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act

Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act or the ALERT Parity Act

This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to facilitate the provision of emergency communication services (e.g., 9-1-1 calls and emergency alerts) in unserved areas. An unserved area is one that has no commercial mobile service capable of providing emergency services because of a lack of infrastructure, destruction of infrastructure, a power outage, or other reason.

The FCC must establish a process for companies to apply for approval to access the electromagnetic spectrum in order to provide emergency services in unserved areas. To obtain approval, a company must demonstrate that it (1) has a technical proposal for providing services, (2) will not use the spectrum to provide additional services, and (3) has the capability to provide the services rapidly. The company must also demonstrate that the services can withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, and other major disasters. The FCC must publish a list of approved providers online.

Additionally, the bill provides protections for authorized users of the spectrum. For example, a provider with FCC approval to provide emergency services to an area under this bill may only access the spectrum if (1) the entity that is typically authorized to use it expressly consents in writing to the approved provider's use, and (2) the approved provider's use does not interfere with the authorized entity's use. Authorized entities that receive a request for consent must reasonably engage with the provider submitting the request.

The bill also limits the liability of an approved provider for certain harms resulting from the transmission of (or failure to transmit) emergency alerts or the release of subscriber information when delivering an alert.

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