Public-safety groups split on carrier location-accuracy accord for indoor 911 calls from cell phones

While the joint press release described the agreement as a “consensus plan,” four public-safety organizations—the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO) and the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) did not agree with the manner in which the NENA-APCO deal with the carriers was reached, according to a joint letter—dated Friday—from the groups to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.

“We were not consulted on these negotiations and were not provided any details of the discussions until October 29, 2014,” the joint letter states.

“Our organizations are disappointed that we were not consulted earlier, because we represent the leadership of the frontline first responders who are called upon to respond to 9-1-1 emergencies every day. Since October 29, we have been actively engaged in discussions with the carriers and other organizations to ensure that any voluntary consensus agreement will provide the most accurate location information during 911 calls.”

From a technical standpoint, these four public-safety organizations support the definition of dispatchable location provided in the carriers’ agreement with NENA and APCO, but they have “serious concerns about the details of the actual roadmap,” according to the letter to Wheeler.

“For example, we believe that the carriers should utilize all potential technology options in determining the dispatchable location of a 9-1-1 caller using a wireless device, including technology using both compensated and uncompensated barometric pressure,” the letter from the four public-safety organizations states. “The proposed roadmap relies on technology solutions for 9-1-1 emergencies that have never been tested in a real-world environment, including the use of in-building Wi-Fi and Bluetooth information and crowdsourcing.

“We urge the FCC to ensure that the carriers also use technologies that have been tested by the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) in their efforts to meet requirements for providing dispatchable location.”

There is precedent for an agreement between the four nationwide carriers, NENA and APCO on a 911-related matter. In December 2012, these parties signed an agreement that called for the carriers to provide text-to-911 capability to public-safety answering points (PSAPs) that wanted it beginning in May 2014. In August 2014, the FCC adopted rules calling for all carriers and interconnected messaging providers to enable text-to-911 service by the end of the year.