HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE PASSES E911 BILL
The House Commerce Committee passed the Enhanced 911 (E911) Implementation Act (HR-2898) Wed., but not before some concerns from the Administration surfaced. The bill passed with no objection after House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) introduced an amendment that would strengthen the grant program so no state -- or entity within a state, including Public Service Answering Points (PSAPs) -- that diverted E911 funds could get federal funding.
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Rep. Shimkus (R-Ill.), sponsor of HR-2898, said it would accomplish 4 goals: (1) Provide $100 million in funding for 5 years. (2) Establish an E911 Coordination Office in NTIA. (3) Penalize states for diverting E911 funds collected from consumers’ cell phone bills. (4) Direct the FCC to report to Congress on the progress of Tier 3 carriers on E911 Phase 2. Tauzin said states’ diversion of funding “literally equates to lost lives” since E911 technology helped emergency responders locate victims. “Pressure should be generated from the bottom up to stop states from raiding E911 funds,” he said.
The Commerce and Transportation departments wrote Tauzin Tues. urging the Committee to find a more cost-effective solution to implementing E911. The Bush Administration said Congress shouldn’t establish a new grant program, but instead should use existing grant programs to support E911 rollout. It also recommended a “Joint Program Office” in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that would coordinate with the FCC, NTIA, Justice Dept. (DoJ) and Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS).
The letter listed several grants available through DHS and DoJ, including: (1) Local Law Enforcement Block Grant, funded at $397 million in 2003, which provides funding to law enforcement for technology and equipment. (2) COPS Law Enforcement Technology Grant, funded at $243 million in 2003, for law enforcement to upgrade technology infrastructure. (3) The State Homeland Security Grant, estimated $1.3-$1.9 billion for 2004. Other grants also were listed. Several of them forecast reductions in 2004.
Shimkus said the Committee hadn’t received the letter until Tues. night and it still was going over the recommendations. He said funds that already were available could make the E911 funding process easier, but also said he expected congressional appropriators to authorize funding for E911. But he said that just because a bill was authorized, didn’t mean it would be funded. While the Administration may urge that the bill not be funded, Shimkus said, “we can always make our case to appropriators, just as anyone else can.”
The letter also cited several examples of current Transportation Dept. (DoT) initiatives to implement E911, including: (1) The DoT Wireless 911 Council, which began in May 2002 and coordinates several public safety groups on E911 issues. (2) Funding support to National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) to create an E911 database of E911 planning, implementation and operational resources. (3) Sponsorship of a State U. of N.Y., Upstate Medical U., project to promote E911 deployment.
A House source said NTIA may have seemed a logical choice to house a joint program, but it didn’t appear the agency wanted the program. The source said that while NTIA had a telecom background, it didn’t have experience as a grant distribution program while NHTSA has shown initiative with E911 and has a history of funding grants.
The Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and NENA both said they strongly supported the bill. NENA said only 10% of call centers could locate a cellphone call accurately, compared with 93% of wireline phones. Robert Gurss, APCO dir.-legal & govt. affairs, said the $100 million wasn’t a lot of money by federal standards and the Administration should fund a program that could save lives. “There are a lot of jurisdictions that need funding,” he said.