911 Services

In a move to improve the public’s ability to contact emergency services during times of crisis and to allow public safety responders to retrieve more precise data regarding a caller’s location, the FCC (News - Alert) has further strengthened E911 location accuracy requirements.

In addition, the Commission is seeking input from the public on methods to improve both 911 availability and E911 location determination for VoIP services. This involves situations in which a caller may be difficult to find due to placement in a large office building or lack of specific location data, such as a floor or room.

Existing E911 technology provides to call operators a caller’s phone number and location information based on a landline or wireless phone; whereas wireless carriers transmit data to 911 response agents via a handset’s GPS or the caller’s wireless signal in relation to nearby cell sites.

Now, the FCC rules that wireless carriers identify the caller’s location for a specified amount of 911 calls within a range of 50 to 150 meters for carriers using hand-set based technology, and 100 to 300 meters for carriers using network-based technology. This is all thanks to a benchmark adopted in 2010 that enforced wireless carriers to meet these accuracy thresholds at the county or PSAP level over an eight-year period.

“Location accuracy has become increasingly better as handsets integrate GPS but our job is far from being done,” said Commissioner Michael Copps. “As more consumers cut the cord, cell phones are increasingly becoming the primary phones for many consumers. We need to see the improvement of in-building location accuracy.”

The FCC’s most recent action also requires wireless carriers to periodically test their E911 location accuracy results and provide the results to PSAPS, state 911 offices and the FCC.

As for VoIP services, the FCC seeks input from the public on whether existing 911 rules for two-way interconnected VoIP services should apply to “outbound-specific” interconnected VoIP services. Meanwhile, the FCC hopes to gather suggestions on how to ensure all interconnected VoIP providers can provide automatic location data for 911 calls placed via VoIP, instead of depending on a subscriber to register his or her location with the VoIP provider.

“While there are benefits to this Registered Location approach, in light of the increasing popularity of VoIP calling, the enhanced mobility of VoIP devices and the evolution of consumer expectations, we consider how we might continue working towards automatic location solutions for VoIP calls to 911,” the Commission stated. “We do not propose specific automatic location accuracy requirements for VoIP at this time but instead seek comment on whether we should adopt general governing principles for the development of automatic location identification solutions.”

Last month, the FCC urged citizens in “dead zones” to fill out a “broadband dead zone report.” Meanwhile, every U.S. state, five territories and the District of Columbia were asked to contribute to their respective maps and continue to gather data, which will eventually be used to improve the existing public safety communications and network and hopefully bring the country closer to E911.

With E911 fully established, callers and 911 responders will be able to use text messages, images and videos for emergency processes, as well as have the capability to locate a caller’s exact location. 911 services expert 911 Enable (News - Alert) boasts a suite of solutions that meet the requirements of proposed E911 legislation, thanks to granular location provisioning; real-time master street address guide validation; automatic IP phone discovery; support for organizations requiring connectivity to multiple PSAPs; as well as security desk routing and notification. Its Network Operations Center is also available 24/7/365.

For additional educational resources on E911 legislation, visit 911 Enable’s website.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet web editor. She covers a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell