FCC Puts Wireless Carriers on Same Technological Footing for 911 Calls
The FCC approved further tweaks to location accuracy rules for wireless carriers, and also asked still more questions about the future of 911. Most significantly, the commission moved the industry another step toward a requirement that all carriers -- GSM and CMRS -- evaluate how well they do meeting location accuracy rules using handset-based testing. The agency approved a report and order, a second further notice of proposed rulemaking and an NPRM by a 4-0 vote Tuesday. None of the documents were posted by the FCC by our deadline.
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"The third report and order builds on the commission’s September 2010 location accuracy order and lays out a path for migration from today’s rules, which applied different standards to network-based and handset-based accuracy methods, to eventual implementation of a unitary rule,” said Public Safety Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett. The order also provides for testing by carriers of location-accuracy performance to ensure that public safety answering points receive accurate information and instructs the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) to develop and recommend testing procedures within six months, he said. The proposed procedures will then be sent out for further comment.
A further NPRM explores accuracy standards for interconnected VoIP, Barnett said. It seeks comment on whether to modify the definition of interconnected VoIP to cover outbound-only interconnected VoIP providers for 911 purposes and seeks comments on the costs and benefits of the proposed rule, he said. Outbound-only services are those like SkypeOut that allow someone to call out to the public switched telephone network but not to receive incoming calls.
The order is “the next step” by the FCC toward stricter location accuracy rules, said David Seal with the Public Safety Bureau. He said after an eight-year transition period that began last year, the FCC will require all carriers to follow a handset-based standard, regardless of the technology they use, under the order. The order also requires all new CMRS networks to comply with the handset-based standard, he said. GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile currently use a network-based solution for locating emergency callers, based on the triangulation of cell towers. CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel use a solution based on a GPS chip in their handsets.
"This item, I believe, strikes the right balance,” said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “The report and order recognizes that the industry should be working towards the more stringent standard we set for handset based location technologies. It requires all new wireless providers, which meet the definition of covered CMRS providers in our rules, to satisfy that standard. It also explains that the commission intends to sunset the less stringent network-based location standard.”
"Given the extraordinary growth of mobile and IP services, not to mention that some consumers may not care to understand the complexities of the technologies, how the systems operate or their regulatory treatment, I am pleased that the commission is continuing its efforts in this important area,” said Commissioner Robert McDowell. “For example, in cases of heart attack or stroke, time is of the essence. A mobile device may be the only means to get help. It is crucial that we do all we can to improve emergency responders’ ability to locate victims quickly."
"Individuals calling 911 often don’t know, or are unable to provide, correct information regarding their location,” said APCO President Bill Carrow. “The FCC’s rules require wireless carriers to use appropriate technologies to identify a 911 caller’s location, and then provide that information to Public Safety Answering Points. However, the location information must be accurate and reliable for first responders to reach emergencies in a timely manner.”