,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bhig  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #bh1    
#bjaf,mr4 ,blumenthal 7for himself1 ,mr4
 ,franken1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4            
,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4         
,sanders1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 and ,ms4       
,warren7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill
  ,to amend title #i1 ,united ,states   
,code1 with respect to arbitration4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,justice for ,telecommunications   
,consumers ,act4  #b4 ,arbitration of   
certain telecommunications disputes  7a7
 ,in general ,title #i1 ,united ,states 
,code1 is amended by adding at the end  
the following3  #d ,arbitration of      
certain telecommunications disputes     
,sec4 #dja4 ,definitions4#djb4 ,validity
 and enforceability4  #dja4 ,definition 
,in this chapter1 the term predispute   
arbitration agreement means any         
agreement to arbitrate a dispute that   

had not yet arisen at the time of the   
making of the agreement4  #djb4         
,validity and enforceability  7a7 ,in   
general ,notwithstanding any other      
provision of this title or the          
,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg      
,u4,s4,c4 #aea et seq471 no predispute  
arbitration agreement shall be valid or 
enforceable if it requires arbitration  
of a dispute arising out of a contract  
for--  7#a7 a commercial mobile service1
 as defined in section #ccb7;d7 of the  
,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg      
,u4,s4,c4 #ccb7;d772  7#b7 a service    
offered by a multichannel video         
programming distributor1 as defined in  
section #fjb of the ,communications ,act
 of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #ebb72  7#c7 a 
telecommunications service or           
information service1 as those terms are 
defined in section #c of the            
,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg      
,u4,s4,c4 #aec72 or  7#d7 a service     
offered by a common carrier1 as defined 
in section #c of the ,communications    

,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #aec74  7b7
 ,applicability  7#a7 ,in general ,an   
issue as to whether this chapter applies
 to an arbitration agreement shall be   
determined under ,federal law4 ,the     
applicability of this chapter to an     
agreement to arbitrate and the validity 
and enforceability of an agreement to   
which this chapter applies shall be     
determined by a court1 rather than an   
arbitrator1 irrespective of whether the 
party resisting arbitration challenges  
the arbitration agreement specifically  
or in conjunction with other terms of   
the contract containing such agreement4 
7#b7 ,collective bargaining agreements  
,nothing in this chapter shall apply to 
any arbitration provision in a contract 
between an employer and a labor         
organization or between labor           
organizations1 except that no such      
arbitration provision shall have the    
effect of waiving the right of an       
employee to seek judicial enforcement of
 a right arising under a provision of   

the ,constitution of the ,united        
,states1 a ,state constitution1 or a    
,federal or ,state statute1 or public   
policy arising therefrom4  4  7b7       
,technical and conforming amendment ,the
 table of chapters for title #i1 ,united
 ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at 
the end the following3  #d4;,arbitration
 of certain telecommunications          
disputes#dja  4