Myths Hold Back Some PSAPs From Adopting Text-to-911, NARUC Told
NASHVILLE -- A growing number of public safety answering points support text-to-911, but there’s more work to be done, an FCC official said Monday at the NARUC Summer Committee Meetings. On the same telecom committee panel, a 911 analyst for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission said he has had to bust myths to convince PSAPs to support emergency SMS. In 2014, the FCC required all carriers to support text-to-911 nationwide, but it was left up to PSAPs and local jurisdictions when to support the capability.
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About 17 percent of U.S. counties support text-to-911, covering about 20 percent of the nation’s population, said FCC Public Safety Deputy Bureau Chief David Furth. An increasing number of states have or are close to 100 percent coverage, he said. He said the FCC counts only those that voluntarily registered with the commission. “We are seeing progress and we also know from talking to a lot of states and local 911 authorities that many jurisdictions are working on this [and] have rollout plans,” he said. “We expect that by the time we are here [at NARUC] a year from now … the number is going to look substantially higher.”
The Colorado PUC employs a “cheerleader process” to urge PSAPs to adopt text-to-911, said Daryl Branson, senior 911 telecom analyst for the state commission. Text-to-911 covers only about 40 percent of the geography of Colorado, but it covers about 76 percent of the state’s population, he said. The PUC is trying to break myths that PSAPs have about supporting SMS, including that it’s too expensive, too hard to implement and will overload the PSAP, he said. So far, the number of texts to 911 is low and not a drain on resources, Branson said. There are easy and cheap ways to implement emergency SMS, including a free browser-based system that can be completed in one to two months, he said. “It’s been a mystery to me as to why it’s so hard to get many of the PSAPs across the country and even in our state to adopt text-to-911.”
Furth cited progress on wireless E911 location accuracy. Next month, the industry will launch a testbed for new and existing technology, he said. In February, carriers will be required to report live calling data from six test cities, which will indicate how far along carriers are in meeting the location requirements, he said. And in April, carriers are required to meet an initial benchmark of 50-meters location accuracy for 40 percent of calls, he said. “This is a timeline that is now well under way, and we will be watching very closely to see how well carriers meet their requirement.”
Funding the transition to next-generation 911 remains a challenge, panelists said. The Task Force on Optimal Public Safety Answering Point Architecture is looking at how to sustain adequate funding for 911 and other issues, said Jim Goerke, a task force member and CEO of the Texas 9-1-1 Alliance. The task force recognizes “there are other mechanisms we may need to look at,” including possibly a network connection fee, he said. “The challenge there would be to come up with something that is fair and equitable.”
There won’t be a “cold cut” to NG911; both legacy and next-generation systems will need funding for a period of time as the nation transitions, Goerke said. The FCC will try to “stretch the dollars” and minimize the transition period as much as possible, said Furth. He said $115 million in 911 grants is coming from proceeds of auctions ordered in the 2012 Middle Class Job Creation and Tax Relief Act. It’s not enough money “to get us over the top when it comes to next-generation 911” but the FCC will look at how to make the most efficient use of the funding, he said.
States need to look at cybersecurity for 911 centers, said Furth. “Most states are not yet focused on this, and this is a gap that needs to be filled very quickly.” Branson said he’s concerned about an increasing number of 911 outages in Colorado. The number of 911 outages increased in 2014 and 2015, and is on track to go up again this year, he said. Accidental cable cuts and system failures represented about one-third of outages apiece, he said. Most of the outages affected a relatively small number of people because they occurred in rural areas, but the yearly increase is “concerning,” he said.
NARUC Notebook
State infrastructure policy should support migration to 5G mobile, wireless and cable industry officials said on an earlier telecom committee panel Monday. “The infrastructure is critical for successful deployment of these networks, and we need close coordination and cooperation with the federal, state and local governments and the private sector to facilitate this infrastructure build,” said Paul Vasington, Verizon director-state public policy. “We need a policy framework that allows for timely, cost-efficient access to rights of way, public facilities and utility poles.” Fees should be reasonable and not priced higher for wireless equipment than comparable facilities, he said. He cited a recently passed law in Kansas, HB-2131, as an example of good legislation in this area. Small wireless facilities can be installed with little impact on pole and buildings, he said. NCTA Executive Vice President James Assey agreed the move to 5G requires a “streamlined process” for industry to get access to poles. The faster wireless technology requires small cells and access to poles, said Eshwar Pittampalli, CTIA director-wireless technology. He compared the evolution of wireless bandwidth to a highway, saying if 2G was one lane, then 4G is four lanes and 5G is 10 lanes.