WASHINGTON-The independent report on the problems associated with deployment of enhanced 911 blames everyone but the wireless industry and location vendors for the constant deployment delays.
“The center of attention of the industry has clearly shifted from discovering, developing evaluating and selecting the ways of locating mobile units in wireless systems to integrating the location information into the existing E911 system. I regard this as very good news,” reads the report just posted to the Federal Communications Commission’s website.
“A report on technical and operational issues impacting the provision of wireless E911 services” was written by Dale Hatfield, former chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology. The FCC asked Hatfield to write an independent report on E911 deployment. While staff of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau helped with clerical details of the report, policy staff with responsibility for E911 issues did not work on the report.
Hatfield levels his harshest criticism on the wireline industry.
“One over-arching issue that immediately emerged in my inquiry is that the existing wireline E911 infrastructure, while generally reliable, is seriously antiquated. . It is an analog technology in an overwhelmingly digital world,” said Hatfield.
Hatfield makes six recommendations based on six principles.
- Establish a National 911 Program Office;
- Increase FCC oversight of the rollout of wireless E911;
- Establish an FCC technical advisory board;
- Create public-safety answering points at the federal level;
- Work with state regulators on cost recovery for incumbent local exchange carriers; and
- Create industry-wide certification procedures for meeting FCC accuracy requirements.
Comments are due Nov. 15 with replies due Dec. 3.
