WASHINGTON-The Communications for Coordinated Assistance and Response to Emergencies (ComCare) Alliance is asking the Federal Communications Commission to maintain its deadline for location-capable handsets.
ComCare requested that the FCC deny a waiver request from CTIA and the Rural Cellular Association for the rules requiring wireless carriers to have 95 percent of their customers’ phones be location capable by Dec. 31.
“It is very important that the FCC enforce the current deadlines for Phase II enhanced 911 deployment and not grant any blanket waivers to them. Wireless E-911 will save lives and should be delayed no longer,” said ComCare Chairman Richard Taylor.
In the waiver request filed last month, CTIA and RCA said their members that have chosen handset solutions to meet the wireless E-911 rules will not be able to meet the Dec. 31 deadline to have 95 percent of the handsets in use on their networks be capable of finding a caller’s location.
Rural carriers long have complained about the handset requirement, noting that many customers prefer their 3-watt analog phones as opposed to digital phones.
Nextel Communications Inc., which is merging with Sprint Corp., has said it is worried about meeting the deadline.
When the FCC allowed carriers to choose a handset solution to meet the wireless E-911 Phase II rules, it said that 95 percent of all handsets in use must have location capability by Dec. 31. Some carriers previously indicated that it might not be possible to meet that deadline. Some rural carriers unsuccessfully tried to get the Senate to amend the recently passed E-911 bill to delay the deadline.
Handset-based solutions must be able to locate the caller within 50 meters 67 percent of the time and within 150 meters 95 percent of the time.
ComCare also asked the FCC to ensure E-911 accuracy at the state level.
