The 911 Location Technologies Test Bed, an independent entity established by CTIA, is inviting vendors of location-accuracy technologies to participate in Stage Z. The test bed was established to independently evaluate the ability of carriers to meet FCC indoor 911 location accuracy requirements through different technologies. The FCC approved an order in January 2015 requiring carriers to improve their performance in identifying the location of wireless calls to 911 (see 1501290066). “Stage Z testing focuses on emerging indoor technologies that determine the altitude, or z-axis, of the 9-1-1 caller,” said a Friday news release.

The FCC deactivated the Disaster Information Reporting System for Hurricane Irma at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s request, said a Public Safety Bureau in a public notice Monday. That leaves Monday’s DIRS report the final one for Irma (see 1709180034), the PN said. The FCC “anticipates that, within the next couple of days, FEMA will likely request activation of DIRS for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” the PN said, and a separate notice will be issued. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised the dependability of AM radio in disasters but conceded that the band is perceived as outdated. “Whenever these emergencies hit, listenership goes through the roof,” Pai said in a radio interview in iHeartMedia’s Miami headquarters during a visit to Irma-damaged Florida with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “You guys do a terrific job giving people the information when they need it,” he said. Younger listeners don’t gravitate to AM, and “time is not on the side of the AM dial,” Pai said, but he said he and Clyburn are working to improve things for AM. “A bipartisan majority at the FCC” believes in AM radio, Pai said. It's “critically important” for broadcasters to have an FCC that supports them, Clyburn said. Broadcasters should know that the FCC is thinking about their issues and the emergency services they provide, she said. Clyburn and Pai also toured a public safety building, and met with a Florida public service commissioner and staff from the FCC’s Miami Field Office, said a news release. They spoke with a team restoring cell towers and other wireless infrastructure damaged during the storm, it said. “The lessons learned during our visit will help the FCC’s continued work to improve the performance of communications networks in future emergencies,” Pai said in the release, praising emergency and wireless workers, plus broadcasters. There's “much more work to be done in the days and weeks ahead, including in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where more than 50% of cell sites remain out of service,” said Clyburn in the release. “Working with my colleagues, Members of Congress, as well as state and local officials, we can translate these lessons into policies that ensure our nation’s communications networks and 9-1-1 systems remain reliable and resilient during disasters.” The FCC added a briefing on its response to the recent hurricanes to the agenda for the Sept. 26 commissioners' meeting, said a notice. The briefing will be done by Public Safety Bureau staff, the notice said.

Emergency-911 reliability suffers from using pre-internet infrastructure and from institutional complexity, insufficient staffing and funding, experts said in interviews. Next-generation 911 won’t prevent outages and adds new challenges, they said. Over time, the IP-based network should be more reliable and will help detect and fix problems faster, they said. Funding NG-911 and ending state diversion of 911 fees would speed improvements.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long names Field Operations Directorate Assistant Administrator Michael Byrne federal disaster recovery coordinator for Storm Harvey-hit (see 1709010042) areas ... Utilities Technology Council hires Rob Thormeyer, ex-aide to then-Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Colette Honorable and before that at NARUC, as its first director-communications and advocacy ... Last Mile Communications CEO Peter Kahelin, a founding partner, retires effective in Q4, and will be non-executive chairman ... Cox Media Group moves up Paul Curran to market vice president-Orlando.

Southeast Texas won't quickly recover after Tropical Storm Harvey damaged and flooded 911 facilities and utility infrastructure (see 1708290029 and 1708280049), emergency and utility officials said in interviews last week. Surging numbers of calls overwhelmed public service answering points (PSAPs) used to far fewer requests, said one official. Industry officials said providers are working together and continue to restore service and assist with relief. The FAA cleared drones to fly into the area.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appears free to consider issues affecting Securus and inmate calling services in general, despite allegations he has a conflict of interest stemming from his past legal work for the ICS provider, ethics specialists and former commissioners told us. They noted Pai is more than five years removed from his Securus representation, and government recusal requirements last only one to two years. But two government watchdog advocates suggested Pai hold himself to a higher standard to avoid any appearance of a conflict.

Next-Generation 911 needs funding and a standard definition that accounts for how broadband will transform first-responder and 911-center operations, APCO said in a Monday report. Recommendations include launching a federal grant program to fund upgrades to broadband technology and ending some states’ practice of diverting 911 fees to unrelated purposes. NG-911 should be defined as “a secure, nationwide, interoperable, standards-based, all-IP emergency communications infrastructure enabling end-to-end transmission of all types of data, including voice and multimedia communications from the public to an Emergency Communications Center,” APCO said. Future integration between NG-911 and FirstNet’s national public safety network will enable seamless broadband communications between first responders and public safety answering points, while smartphones and other IP-enabled devices will allow the public to send multimedia directly to PSAPs, the report said. “PSAPs of the future will be a nerve center, managing data-rich communications via broadband technology with 9-1-1 callers and first responders.”

APCO's executive committee and executive director met with the officers and CEO of the National Emergency Number Association July 29 to discuss joint positions on 911 issues. An APCO official said the group had nothing to say beyond a statement. “The collegial and productive meeting resulted in consensus by both associations for the need for all Next Generation 9-1-1 technologies to be both interoperable and interconnected including equipment currently described as NENA 13 ‘compliant,’” said a Friday joint statement. “The two associations also discussed and agreed on the need for federal funding to enable state and local governments to transition to Next Generation technologies as well as the need for consistent and transparent messaging concerning the current state of Next Generation 9-1-1 equipment offerings.” Look for joint communications on these topics in the next 30 to 60 days, the groups said.

A California bill that would require ISPs to get express consent from consumers to use, disclose and sell personal data survived a Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee hearing Tuesday, despite opposition from industry. By a 9-1 vote with one member abstaining, the committee advanced AB-375 with several saying the legislation needs work before it reaches the Senate floor. The bill, which unanimously passed the Assembly in May, faces scrutiny by the state Senate Judiciary Committee, scheduled to hold a hearing at our deadline (see 1707060052). A spokeswoman for the Energy Committee emailed that even if Judiciary votes down the bill, it would be held there and "is not officially dead."

Illinois General Assembly Democrats overrode a veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and passed a bill combining AT&T deregulation with reauthorization of 911 services that were to expire Saturday. Friday, Rauner had asked the legislature to delete tax increases and a section related to telecom deregulation in SB-1839. But Saturday, the Illinois House voted 90-22 and the Senate voted 43-1 to override Rauner’s veto and pass the measure as HB-1811. A state consumer group vowed to fight at the FCC to stop AT&T from killing landlines, but AT&T denied it soon will end home service.