Commission Moves Toward Improved 911 Location-Accuracy

The FCC voted Tuesday to revise its location-accuracy requirements for wireless 911 callers, seeking comments to improve location-accuracy of VoIP emergency communications.   

The new rules would require all wireless carriers to comply with more stringent GPS-based E-911 accuracy requirements by 2019.  This includes coverage at the county level or PSAP-territory level.  Mandatory reports on tests of accuracy will be required as well. 

Reliable location data is invaluable for first reponders, especially under circumstances where a 911 caller is unable to communicate their location.  The FCC also plans to explore the ability to locate callers within buildings, since a only street address is insufficient if a call comes from a large building. 

This is a step in the right direction for Public Safety, after the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) published Project LOCATE, a study which found discrepancies of wireless 911 call location-accuracy, based on the technology used by carriers. 

FCC: Working Toward Reliable 911 Service

A press release from May 12, 2011 outlines the FCC's most recent step toward a more "resilient and reliable 9-1-1 system." 

A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) will hold Broadband providers providers responsible for reporting outages of thirty minutes or longer that meet certain thresholds, so that the Commission can track and analyzes outages, to determine proper actions to correct the problem in a timely manner. 

Older, legacy communications technologies are quickly being replaced by broadband.  Today, almost 30 percent of the 89 million residential telephone subscribers are using VoIP.  Broadband is responsible for a great volume of 9-1-1 calls already, and with the recent push toward Broadband technology, this trend will only continue in future years.

Many regions have experienced safety risks due to broadband outages.  A broadband outage was responsible for more than 40,000 customers losing phone service for 12 hours.  This lack of ability to reach 9-1-1 causes great risk to subscribers without service.  The FCC recently initiated an investigation into 10,000 dropped calls during an emergency from Verizon customers in Maryland during an ice storm.  The FCC seems to be taking a divide and conquer approach to improving 9-1-1 capability.  By gathering information on outages, this assemble up the first piece of the puzzle.

Public Safety: Photos and Video Sent to 911 in Chicago

Chicago citizens now have the ability to send video and photos via 911 to the police department's crime prevention information center.  Having started in September, 2010, this is the first program with this capability in the country.  After review by the information center, the photos are sent to appropriate departments (either first responders or detectives investigating the incident).  More than 40 images have been received by the department, most of property damage.

Read more in the Urgent Communications article.

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FCC: Verizon Requested to Assess Blocked 911 Calls

The FCC has requested that Verizon investigate the cause of the failure of approximately 10,000 wireless calls to 911 centers in Maryland during the January 26, 2011 snowstorm.  Verizon will assess the problem, discover remedies, and implement solutions to restore the network operations if future problems occur.

The failure was far from minor, with nine out of 10 Verizon circuits in Prince George's County failing to go through in a five-hour timeframe.  The result was 8,300 blocked calls in Montgomery County and 1,700 in Prince George's County on the evening of the January 26th.  Similar cases have been reported, including calls being blocked from reaching a 911 call center in Fairfax County, Virginia on the same date.

In the letter from Jamie Barnett, Rear Admiral (ret.) and Chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Verizon is requested to investigate and answer for the following questions:

• Is the problem localized to the 911 call centers using the Hyattsville and Rockville, Maryland selective routers?
• Was this the same problem that occurred in Fairfax County, Virginia?
• Can this problem occur elsewhere in the nation?
• Has this problem occurred in other states and if so, in which states?

In addition to the requested information, due by March 10, 2011 Chief Barnett has asked for a meeting with Verizon representatives within the next two weeks.  Read more in the Public Notice from the FCC.