911 Fee Diversion by States Is Stealing, O'Rielly Says

premise that they’re being used for public safety officials.” O’Rielly said some downplay the practice, but it has a cost for consumers. “Even if a state is just diverting current collections because it maintains positive balances in an existing account, the diversion generally prevents new investment in costly, future networks, as states don’t want to deplete their accounts in total,” he said. “Significant investment -- not just maintenance -- is going to be necessary to develop and implement NG 9-1-1.” O’Rielly backed a unified alternative wireless emergency number for all of the U.S. People have to use #77 in Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, *47 in North Carolina, *77 in Massachusetts and *11 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, he said. “Why do we force the American public to remember these different numbers or read a roadside sign while driving along the highway?” he asked. “Are these numbers being used effectively to shift some vital mobile emergency traffic away from the 9-1-1 calling centers?” O’Rielly is eager for the FCC to move forward to expedite the siting of small cells and other new facilities needed for 5G. “Sadly, the real loser in all of this is the consumer, who must wait longer for access to new technologies,” he said. “If this situation is not resolved quickly and satisfactorily, the Commission must be willing to use its preemption authority against those governmental entities.” The FCC posted the text of O’Rielly’s speech.