WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission stepped up its consumer-education campaign regarding wireless enhanced 911 Thursday when FCC Chairman Michael Powell appeared on the “CBS Early Show” to announce the release of a consumer advisory on wireless E911.
“Consumers need to know that some wireless carriers have invested more than others in implementing E911. When you shop for wireless service, ask whether the carrier has implemented E911 in your area and whether the phone you’re buying works for E911. Not all carriers are created E911 equal, and consumers have a right to know this,” said Powell in a statement.
The consumer advisory was the second time in a week that Powell has highlighted and prodded E911 implementation issues. Powell spoke about the topic at a conference of public-safety officials earlier in the week.
“When you dial 911, you expect police to come to the rescue and be able to find you. Americans deserve effective emergency response using the best technology available. Government officials and the wireless industry need to redouble their efforts to make this a No. 1 priority,” said Powell.
Powell also engaged in the debate to urge states and localities to stop raiding E911 funds. “Wireless consumers in all but a handful of states pay E911 surcharges on their bills that go to state and local governments for E911. Consumers have every rights to expect that money to be used for E911 upgrades,” said Powell.
Bills have been introduced in the House and the Senate by the chairs of the E911 Congressional Caucus to provide for state grants to deploy wireless E911 and will withhold those funds from states that divert money collected from E911 charges on telecommunications bills for other purposes. The bill would also create a federal task force led by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Members of the task force would include the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Defense, Interior, and Transportation, the FCC, state and local first responders, and telecommunications industry representatives.
On the “CBS Early Show,” Powell stressed how complicated E911 implementation is. “E911 is a simple thing to understand, but a difficult thing to implement,” he said. “You need a lot of constituencies to come together. It’s sophisticated technology. No. 1. It involves all the wireless carriers in the United States, No. 2. It requires state and local governments to come up with the funding to modify their systems so that the service works. And one of the things we’ve seen is a lot of local and state governments have had difficulty coming up with the resources to take care of their end of the program, so that’s one of the things that the country’s working on.”
The advisory suggests consumers be specific when researching mobile-phone service:
“Ask your wireless carrier:
1. Have you received a request from local public-safety officials to deploy E911 in my area?
2. What is the status of your E911 deployment in my area?
3. Does my phone work for E911?
4. What other models work for E911?
Ask your state legislators and public-safety officials:
1. Is my local 911 call center ready for E911?
2. If not, what is the plan for making the necessary upgrades?
3. Is the E911 surcharge on my bill being used for E911?”
