Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4230 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R12356 JXC-D
2	2	By: Raymond H.B. No. 4230
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the emergency coordination of advanced communications
8	8	service.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 2, Utilities Code, is amended
11	11	by adding Chapter 67 to read as follows:
12	12	CHAPTER 67. EMERGENCY COORDINATION OF ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS
13	13	SERVICE
14	14	Sec. 67.0101. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "advanced
15	15	communications service" means:
16	16	(1) interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol
17	17	service, such as home telephone service provided by an Internet
18	18	service provider;
19	19	(2) non-interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol
20	20	service, such as using a computer to engage in voice communication
21	21	over the Internet;
22	22	(3) electronic messaging service, such as text
23	23	messaging, instant messaging, or e-mail; or
24	24	(4) interoperable videoconferencing service.
25	25	Sec. 67.0102. POWER TO REGULATE AND SUPERVISE. (a) The
26	26	commission has authority to regulate and supervise a provider of
27	27	advanced communications service for the purposes of this chapter.
28	28	(b) This chapter does not grant the commission authority to
29	29	regulate and supervise a provider of advanced communications
30	30	service for a purpose other than the purposes of this chapter.
31	31	Sec. 67.0103. EMERGENCY COORDINATION. (a) The commission
32	32	by rule shall provide for coordination among providers of advanced
33	33	communications service during times of emergency, including
34	34	requiring providers of wireless advanced communications service to
35	35	have in place reasonable roaming and peering agreements for times
36	36	of emergency that can be employed without additional negotiation.
37	37	(b) The commission shall distribute a set of recommended
38	38	best practices on how providers of advanced communications service
39	39	and providers of electricity service should coordinate in order to
40	40	ensure that advanced communications service remains operational
41	41	during times of emergency and preplanned power downs.
42	42	(c) The commission shall:
43	43	(1) establish a process by which providers of advanced
44	44	communications service and providers of electricity service share
45	45	information regarding prioritizing infrastructure that is used in
46	46	the provision of advanced communications service for restoring
47	47	power to best restore critical parts of advanced communications
48	48	service networks necessary for emergency response and restoration
49	49	efforts, in a manner that promotes the most efficient and effective
50	50	use of resources during times of emergency and preplanned power
51	51	outages;
52	52	(2) ensure that providers of advanced communications
53	53	service take reasonable and technically feasible measures to
54	54	integrate backup power, including generators and batteries, into
55	55	advanced communications service networks to continue the provision
56	56	of advanced communications service during and following times of
57	57	emergency and during preplanned power outages, with particular
58	58	focus on consumers' ability to send and receive emergency
59	59	communications; and
60	60	(3) take all necessary, reasonable measures to ensure
61	61	appropriate coordination, including at incident command centers
62	62	established during times of emergency, between providers of
63	63	electricity service and providers of advanced communications
64	64	service and, where appropriate, state and local representatives to
65	65	ensure the providers:
66	66	(A) are aware of where infrastructure used in the
67	67	provision of advanced communications service is located to avoid
68	68	inadvertently damaging such infrastructure and delaying
69	69	restoration of advanced communications service during and
70	70	following times of emergency and preplanned power outages;
71	71	(B) communicate with each other on a regular and
72	72	ongoing basis regarding the progress of network restoration during
73	73	and following times of emergency and preplanned power outages; and
74	74	(C) are aware of their respective restoration
75	75	plans, priorities, and critical sites in advance of any emergency,
76	76	as well as during and following times of emergency and preplanned
77	77	power outages.
78	78	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.