911 expected to take center stage at the FCC

There are multiple technologies that can be used to identify the Z-coordinate location of an emergency caller using a cell phone, but there has been significant debate about their reliability and accuracy. Still, Congress has encouraged the FCC to look at the issue of in-building location information, and the FCC has put the item on its agenda for next month.

In general, the FCC commissioners’ interest in 911 should be welcomed, because there is no communication that is more critical than a call for emergency assistance and the issues raised are all legitimate. But there is the nagging question whether the FCC is in a legal position to really address the myriad issues facing the 911 sector at this time.

Wheeler acknowledged that the FCC has no regulatory authority over PSAPs, and it certainly no legal authority to address the funding problems surrounding 911. Those issues are resolved at the state level, as they have been for decades, but each state prioritizes 911 differently.

But technology is changing rapidly, and the ability to access emergency help should reflect those changes, whether it means via text, cellular call or another mode of communication. If Congress wants U.S. citizens to have similar 911 service nationwide, some regulatory changes—or a better dialog with states—and possibly a different funding model are needed to make this vision a reality.