Bill preventing E911 fund diversion out of committee
U.S. Senator Conrad Burns, R-Mont., said July 17 that unanimous passage by the Commerce Committee of E911 legislation preventing states from diverting E911 funds from intended purposes is a “huge victory for us.”
The Enhanced 911 Emergency Act of 2003 introduced in June, now awaits debate on the Senate floor. In the past, money intended for enhancing 911 services on cell phones has often been diverted for other purposes. The bill is intended to ensure E911 funds are used for their intended purpose.
The Senate Commerce Committee approved the bill and kept its primary provisions intact. The bill originally was sponsored by Burns and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., both members of the Senate E911 Caucus. The legislation has been supported by National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and other groups representing first responders.
Provisions in the Enhanced 911 Emergency Act of 2003 include: Creation of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Task Force, requiring the Administrator of NTIA to establish an Emergency Communications Task Force to facilitate coordination between federal, state, and local communications systems. It also authorizes $500 million per year for grants to enhance emergency communications services through planning, infrastructure improvements, equipment purchases, and personnel training and acquisition. It makes fifty-percent matching grants available to state, local, and tribal governments.
Administered by the NTIA, the grant program would require consultation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Preference in grants would go to applications that coordinated with PSAPs and integrated public and commercial services.
The FCC would be required to review, twice a year, fees for enhancing 911 services. States would be required to certify that no E911 fees are being used for other purposes. The FCC would notify Congress of states that divert E911 funds and the NTIA would withhold grant funds to states that are found by the FCC to divert those funds.