More than 50% of U.S. PSAPs still don’t receive wireless E-911 Phase II location information, the National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) said. NENA released a report as part of a Transportation Dept. wireless deployment project. Lack of PSAP funding and deployment coordination remain the main roadblocks to Phase II implementation, NENA and public safety officials told us.

Negotiations failed between the wireless industry and public safety on E-911 wireless location accuracy rules, a public safety group told the FCC. The issue has sparked a huge fight, with public safety advocating application of the requirements at a local community level, and industry pushing for statewide application. After months of negotiations, “an impasse has been reached and the parties appear to agree that further negotiations are unlikely to reach an agreement,” said Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO).

The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) said it launched a 20 day public review period for its VoIP E-911 Interim Solution standard (I2). The standard is aimed at enabling VoIP service providers to “deliver full E-911 service through the current E-911 infrastructure,” NENA said -- www.nena.org.

The FCC said it set up a task force with NARUC to “facilitate timely and effective enforcement of the Commission’s VoIP E911 rules.” The task force, with staff from the FCC and state PUCs, will work closely with public safety representatives including APCO and NENA, it said. “The federal and state Task Force members will look at developing educational materials to ensure that consumers understand their rights and the requirements of the FCC’s VoIP E911 order and rules and how best to expedite compliance and facilitate enforcement, where necessary,” the FCC said: “The Task Force will also compile data and share best practices.” Task force members will be named soon.

Providers are scrambling to meet a Nov. 28 deadline by which interconnected VoIP providers must offer E-911 services, panelists said Thurs. at the VoIP E-911 Solution Summit in D.C. “Because only 33.6% of American counties have phase 2 wireless,” providers will need a lot of time and money to meet the deadline, said Rick Jones of the National Emergency Numbers Assn. (NENA). The FCC order said interconnected VoIP services must transmit all 911 calls with caller location and call-back number to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), “even if through a third party or CLEC.” Many VoIP providers said they consider the FCC’s decision “aggressive.”

A consensus reached by the Network Reliability & Interoperability Council (NRIC) on testing and reporting Phase II E911 location accuracy (CD March 30 p2) could fall apart “if one aspect of the recommendation is changed without revisiting the entire agreement,” NENA warned the FCC. NRIC has recommended that accuracy testing be done statewide, but APCO dissented, arguing such testing should be done locally. “It is not so much that this is a weak consensus, but rather, it is carefully crafted to solve many problems through one approach, a system over a solution,” NENA said: “NENA believes that all perspectives were considered during the negotiations, and that the opponents to the recommendation were simply never willing to budge from their demand that accuracy and testing be conducted at the PSAP level.”

The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) has started an automated testing program for TTY equipment used by the hearing impaired. The automated system, which determines if TTY equipment is working properly, is designed to help 911 centers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Known as TTY-PASS, the system sends a 3-min. test script to the 911 operator’s TTY. The 911 call taker copies the received text into a secure website where a score is generated. To receive a passing score, the TTY must have a total character error rate of 1% or less, NENA said. The program has an annual fee of $75 per TTY which includes unlimited testing, NENA said.

The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) cautioned against “quick-fix solutions” to meet a 120-day FCC deadline for VoIP providers to offer E-911 capability. NENA, a leader in industry standards, said it knows the 120 days is a tight deadline but “any partial solutions implemented within the 120-day timeframe which do not comply with the… open industry standards must be considered as interim methods.” The FCC E-911 order (CD June 6 p1) is “a positive step toward greater cooperation and deployment of IP-related E-911 services,” NENA said. The group is working on “Migratory 12 and next generation NG911 (13) solutions.”

After emotional testimony from victims of VoIP- related 911 glitches, the FCC Thurs. ordered VoIP providers to give customers full E-911 service within 120 days. E-911, or enhanced 911, means a 911 caller’s location is transmitted and can be viewed by emergency dispatchers on a screen.

NENA backed the proposed merger between Sprint and Nextel, saying “the capabilities of each company to implement and improve 911 services will be strengthened by their merger.” NENA is “pleased” by the companies’ continued progress on E-911, it told the FCC Wed. “Both Sprint and Nextel have adhered to their existing compliance obligations under the FCC’s rules, and continue to demonstrate their commitment to making E911 services available to their customers throughout the nation,” NENA said. Sprint and Nextel reported progress in deploying E- 911 services in their recent quarterly reports but Nextel said it may not be able to meet the Dec. 31 deadline for 95% of its handsets to be location-enabled. Sprint said it installed the network systems to support Phase II service nationwide almost 3 years ago, but still couldn’t deploy Phase I or Phase II E-911 services because of a lack of LEC and PSAP readiness.