WASHINGTON-Public-safety answering points serving more than 75 percent of the population are able to receive location information from mobile-phone callers, according to statistics from the National Emergency Number Association.
“The PSAP statistics translate to 88 percent receiving Phase I calls and 76 percent covered by Phase II-enabled PSAPs. As the numbers suggest, the greater percentage of population covered compared to the percentage of PSAPs with Phase I and Phase II technology in place indicates that the overwhelming amount of deployments are occurring in more densely populated regions and the rural areas continue to struggle to upgrade the E-911 capabilities,” said NENA.
NENA used the release of the statistics to push for appropriations money-$42 million-requested by the Congressional E-911 Caucus.
“Sustainable funding for 911 is a critical issue that must be addressed if all Americans are to enjoy the benefits of a fully functional 911 system. It remains critical that Congress provide funding to implement the Enhance 911 Act grant program,” said NENA President David Jones.
Lack of E-911 can lead to dire consequences, said NENA. The association pointed to a recent situation where a shooting victim died because a Cincinnati 911 operator didn’t have the location information of a caller using a cell phone.
E-911 service requires cooperation among several entities: the wireless industry, which must get callers’ location information either through a network solution or a handset solution; PSAPs, which generally must upgrade their equipment to be able to use the location information; and the wireline industry, which must deliver the location information from the wireless network to the PSAP. The nation’s wireless carriers are in various stages of implementing E-911 service.
On another issue, NENA continued to press for next generation E-911 services.
In a recent meeting, NENA members decided to examine state and federal legislation and regulation to see what policy changes need to be made to facilitate the Internet-protocol based system that NENA envisions.
“Federal, state and local government leaders need to be better aware of the possibilities, funding issues and potential cost savings associated with a NG-911 system vs. the legacy technology currently in place,” said Robert Martin, NENA executive director.
