States pass wireless E911 bills
As of the end of 1998, 27 states had adopted some form of wireless E911 legislation since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its Report and Order directing wireless carriers to provide the public safety community with E911 services, according to Xypoint Corp. The company provides wireless intelligent network services and tracks and supports state legislative efforts. Thirteen states passed bills in 1998.
Cost recovery for wireless carriers is a mandatory condition at the state or local level before the FCC`s mandate is activated for carriers. According to the research firm, legislative efforts are currently underway in at least seven other states this year.
Recently the House of Representatives passed Bill 438 requiring the Federal Communications Commission to make 911 the national emergency telephone number for cellular and standard telephone callers. The vote was 415-2. The bill was sent to the Senate.
The government does not now require that communities make 911 their emergency telephone number. The emergency number in some jurisdictions ranges from “77” for the Pennsylvania State Police to the standard seven-digit phone number for local police or sheriff`s offices, bill sponsors explained. This lack of uniformity, they say, makes it difficult for travelers, including those who subscribe to cellular or other personal wireless services, to know which number to call in a time of crises.
The bill would also extend liability protections to wireless companies and allow them to provide information on a mobile phone user`s location to emergency operators but would require a customer`s “ex-press permission” for the information to be disclosed to other individuals. n
