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

Commentary Newsletters


Yet another reason to love Wal-Mart

Yet another reason to love Wal-Mart

Unlike post-paid phones, there traditionally has been no way to collect 911 surcharge fees from prepaid phone users. This is a huge problem for the 911 sector, because prepaid wireless phones currently account for about 20% of the market.
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 10th June 2010

I love Wal-Mart. I love it because I can find just about everything I need there. And you can’t beat the prices. This week, at the National Emergency Number Association’s annual conference in Indianapolis, I discovered yet another reason to adore the big-box retailer.

I was listening to a panel discussion regarding the funding challenges that afflict the 911 sector. Dane Snowden, vice president for external and state affairs for CTIA — the lobbying organization for wireless carriers — was bringing attendees up to date on efforts to solve the prepaid wireless phone dilemma. Unlike post-paid phones, there traditionally has been no way to collect 911 surcharge fees from prepaid phone users, because there is no contract for such devices, thus no billing mechanism.

This is a huge problem for the 911 sector, because prepaid wireless phones currently account for about 20% of the market and “we’re seeing more and more people doing that,” Snowden said. Millions of dollars in 911 surcharge fees are being lost every month as a result, and that only will rise as the trend accelerates, as expected.

Snowden said progress is being made on this front. Two years ago, model legislation was created that would require retailers to collect 911 surcharge fees at the point of sale (POS) for any prepaid wireless handset they sell, just as they collect sales tax.

“A lot of stores make a lot of money from selling our products. Our view is, if you’re going to sell our products, you have to do this, as well,” Snowden said.

Last year, three states — Texas, Maine and Wisconsin — used this model legislation to enact POS-collection laws. This year, eight more states have joined the fold or are expected to do so: Colorado, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia and Rhode Island. That’s the good news. The bad news is that large retailers are working energetically to kill such bills, Snowden said. “We’ve had a lot of trouble with the retail community,” he said. “The big-box stores — Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc. — don’t want to do this.”

One exception is Wal-Mart. According to Snowden, Wal-Mart “came on board early and has been on board all along” regarding the collection of 911 surcharge fees at the time a prepaid phone is sold.

This is a situation that affects all of public safety, not just the 911 sector. The public-safety answering point is the hub of the first-response wheel. Call-takers and dispatchers have to make the right decisions in terms of the personnel and equipment they send to an emergency, or people die. That means they need the best-possible training and equipment. In turn, that means funding is needed. There is a serious funding shortage afflicting public safety right now, and it can be argued that the 911 sector has been hit the hardest. For that reason, it is imperative that pre-paid wireless users pay their fair share in terms of supporting 911 service. And, if retailers are able to collect sales tax at the point of sale, then there is no good reason why they can’t also collect a 911 surcharge fee when they sell a prepaid wireless device.

I am confident that the cellular and public-safety lobbyists will continue their work on this important issue. In the meantime, I will do my part by giving Wal-Mart even more of my business. I suggest you do the same. When you do, drop a note to the corporate offices of Best Buy and Radio Shack — and every other retailer who’s fighting these POS-collection laws — letting them know why you did so.

What do you think? Tell us in the comment box below.

Tags: Commentary Newsletters Policy & Law Commentary

Most Recent


  • LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command
    The grief following a firefighter line-of-duty death (LODD) is beyond words. Fellow firefighters are devastated. Families are shattered. In the aftermath, questions arise about the circumstances: Was the loss preventable? What was the chain of actions leading to the catastrophe? Central to these questions is the role of incident command (IC), the command’s situational awareness, […]
  • Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications
    I’m from a little town in West Texas. As a Texan, I like getting straight to the point: I believe that emergency communications are a matter of national security. Because this message is so important, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has designated this April as the first-ever Emergency Communications Month. At CISA, we […]
  • FirstNet success means no hypothetical 'shots' need to be fired, Swenson says
    As public-safety officials today commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the FirstNet Authority being created, the deployment of the FirstNet nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) has proceeded well enough that no one needs to face a firing squad, according to former Authority board Chair Sue Swenson. “Save it for another time,” Swenson said during a recent […]
  • Show support for law enforcement on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
    This coming Sunday, January 9th, is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day—a well-deserved day to thank and show support to law-enforcement officers for their dedication to duty and service to their local communities, as well as protecting the people who live and work in the communities. On behalf of L3Harris, a Florida-based company that provides critical […]

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

  • Unlocking the power of ESInets: Different NG911 provisioning approaches exist; level of control is key differentiator
  • Redefining communications for today’s mobile workforces
  • Bridging digital divide by fostering digital inclusion and economic recovery
  • Public safety needs a better way to triage emergency calls

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