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Committee considers raising 911 cellphone surcharge, and requiring broadband providers to notify local governments
Summary
The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee will hear a bill to raise the maximum 911 cellphone surcharge to $1 statewide and a separate bill requiring broadband providers to notify counties and cities and receive a local resolution of support before obtaining funding.
The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee is scheduled to consider bills that would alter funding and local engagement for public-safety communications and broadband projects.
One proposal would raise the maximum allowable 911 cellphone surcharge to $1 statewide. The transcript notes the actual rate is set by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and is currently 50 cents in Douglas County and 70 cents elsewhere in the state; new language in the bill would require the PSC to maximize operational support for public safety answering points (PSAPs) when setting surcharge rates.
Separately, the committee will hear a bill that would require broadband providers to give notice to counties and cities and to receive a local government resolution of project support before receiving funding support. The reporter framed the change as a procedural requirement intended to confirm local government awareness and backing for broadband-funded projects.
What happens next: the items were scheduled for committee hearing; the transcript contains no record of committee votes or final outcomes.
