https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

content


Senate fails to act on E911 bill

Senate fails to act on E911 bill

New Hampshire Senator Sununu believes funding level is still too high
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 1st November 2004

National Emergency Number Association President Bill McMurray last month sent an urgent letter to the co-chairs of the Congressional E-911 Caucus — Sens. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) — urging them to twist their colleagues’ arms in order to pass legislation before the election break that would provide funding for public-safety answering point, or PSAP, upgrades.

The Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Burns and Clinton, was introduced in June 2003 and made it through the Senate Commerce Committee the next month. The House version was introduced in November 2003. It had been anticipated that the Senate version would make it to the floor for a vote in January, but the bill continues to languish.

The House and Senate versions are similar. Each would authorize federal funding for PSAPs upgrading to comply with the FCC’s Phase II mandate, which requires PSAPs and wireless carriers to identify the location of wireless 911 callers and establish a national center to coordinate Phase II deployments and upgrades. The bills also would punish states that divert E911 funds collected via wireless service surcharges to other uses by denying them the federal grants.

However, the two bills are far apart on the funding level. The House version calls for $100 million annually, while the Senate version stipulates $500 million. A compromise was reached in June of this year that would set the funding level at $250 million — not enough to get the job done, but a good start, according to NENA executives.

Steve Seitz, NENA’s government affairs director, had expressed hope that the Senate would take long-awaited action before the break. “[Senate Majority Leader Bill] Frist [R-Tenn.] wants to get this done, and I think [the Senate] wants to get this done before they leave for the election recess,” Seitz said.

The bill almost came to a vote early last month, according to Jennifer O’Shea, Burns’ press secretary.

“We were actually very close,” O’Shea said in the final hours before the recess. “Sen. Burns is not close to giving up. He’s still working hard on this.”

Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) blocked the bill, according to Washington sources, who said Sununu believes the $250 million in annual funds is still too high. There might be another reason, said Washington insider Rudy Baca, wireless strategist with Precursor.

“It may not get done because it’s become part of a much larger issue having to do with the 800 MHz rebanding and setting a hard date for broadcasters to move off the 700 MHz band,” Baca said. “I think Sununu is trying to view all of these holistically, and that’s the problem.”

Such a philosophy gets in the way of passing an important piece of legislation for which a Senate/House compromise already is in place, according to Baca. He said Sununu should heed some advice that one of Baca’s former bosses — former FCC Chairman James Quello, who is the longest-tenured commission in history with more than 24 years of service — once gave him.

“He used to always tell me never to let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” Baca said. “He used to always say that the best decision is the one that’s made. And I think Sununu wants the perfect.”

Calls to Sununu’s press secretary were not returned as of press time.

Tags: Regulation content Policy Public Safety

Most Recent


  • Senate fails to act on E911 bill
    Newscan: Verizon counts 5.1 million first-responder subs; AT&T has 3.7 million
    Web Roundup Items from other news organizations Verizon counts 5.1 million first-responder subs; AT&T has 3.7 million DHS researches overcoming occlusions in video surveillance for public safety Less-serious 911 calls put on standby due to Durham EMS staffing shortages Russian hackers get the headlines. But China is the bigger threat to many U.S. enterprises. One […]
  • Motorola Solutions logo
    Motorola Solutions seeks contempt finding, global injunction against Hytera for not paying royalty
    Motorola Solutions asked a federal judge to find Hytera Communications in contempt of court for refusing to make ordered royalty payment and to prohibit the China-based manufacturer from selling land-mobile-radio (LMR) equipment globally, according to a legal filing posted Wednesday. Hytera Communications did not make its first royalty payment as scheduled on July 31 to […]
  • Humanoid robot explores shipwrecks
    Stanford University researchers created a humanoid diving robot that can access deeply-sunk vessels and objects, and features a haptic feedback system that simulates the feeling of items encountered so operators can experience what the robot does. The robot, known as OceanOneK, also comes fitted with 3D vision and eight multidirectional thrusters to help it navigate […]
  • How IT teams can use 'harm reduction' for better cybersecurity outcomes
    It’s a well-known fact that humans are — and will continue to remain — one of the weakest links in any company’s cyber defenses. Security admins have tried to help the situation through random phishing tests and training, ultimatums, eliminating local control over a given device, and even naming and shaming those unlucky souls who […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Senate fails to act on E911 bill
    Newscan: Feds recover millions from pipeline ransom hackers, hint at U.S. Internet tactic
  • Cyber is the new Cold War, and AI is the arms race
  • Private wireless networks in the US start going public
  • Microsoft patches 6 zero-day vulnerabilities under active attack

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Newscan: Verizon counts 5.1 million first-responder subs; AT&T has 3.7 million dlvr.it/SW84Gv

6th August 2022
UrgentComm

Taiwan crisis another blow to the supply chain dlvr.it/SW7GSs

5th August 2022
UrgentComm

Motorola Solutions seeks contempt finding, global injunction against Hytera for not paying royalty dlvr.it/SW6Ldm

5th August 2022
UrgentComm

Humanoid robot explores shipwrecks dlvr.it/SW36fy

4th August 2022
UrgentComm

How IT teams can use ‘harm reduction’ for better cybersecurity outcomes dlvr.it/SW32rd

4th August 2022
UrgentComm

Increase in emergency-response time caused by insufficient staffing, traffic congestion dlvr.it/SW16zp

3rd August 2022
UrgentComm

Tepid demand, taxation fears drag at 2.5GHz spectrum auction for 5G dlvr.it/SW15Yt

3rd August 2022
UrgentComm

Newscan: Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure quietly increase dlvr.it/SVxr3P

2nd August 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X