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911 Services Fund Seeking Protection in Tennessee

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March 23, 2011

911 Services Fund Seeking Protection in Tennessee


By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor


911 services were established in the United States years ago to provide a platform for first responders to gain real-time information on emergency situations. What traditionally has been a system based on addresses linked with landlines is facing the daunting task of managing information where phone numbers are not attached to physical addresses. Without effective management of this platform, lives are at risk.


To combat this problem, federal and state governments have been tasked with addressing the need for E911 solutions that can capture the location of a caller when calling from a mobile phone or a landline attached to a different physical address. This effective implementation of E911 is essential to protect the continued availability of 911 services so as to protect citizens throughout the nation.

In order for E911 services to be rolled out across the country, it is important to secure and protect the funds necessary for this project. A bill prohibiting the transfer of future earnings from the E911 Fund to the state’s General Fund recently passed the state Senate and is now being passed to the House of Representatives in Tennessee, according to this Cleveland Banner report.

Known as Senate Bill 293, this legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 30-0. As House Bill 527 and sponsored by State Rep. John Fogerty of Athens, the legislation is currently in the State and Local Government Committee. According to State Sen. Mike Bell (News - Alert), this legislation mirrors a bill passed a few years ago that prohibits the state from raiding the road fund.

The bill states: “At no time during its existence shall the 911 Emergency Communications Fund or any interest derived from such fund be used to fund the general expenses of the State of Tennessee.”

Each month, cell phone users pay a dollar designated for the E911 Fund. The extra dollar is added to their cell phone bills and in the past, the state has raided the E911 Fund to transfer the earned interest to the General Fund. Bell believes that money should be off limits. With a healthy balance, earnings are roughly $3 million and that money should be secured for 911 services. It is the healthy reserve, however, that made the fund a target.

The state will be required to advance its 911 services with the implementation of the Next Generation E911 network in the next seven years. This upgrade has been estimated at a cost of $118 million. This upgrade is an essential, however, as it will allow the 911 system to accept and handle advanced information. It will also have the capacity to connect with private services, such as the platforms used in automotive navigation systems to handle automatic crash notification.

This protection of the advanced 911 services in the state will be essential to protect its citizens and ensure the state has the funding necessary to meet with requirements in this area.


Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jaclyn Allard


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