ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) – The Federal Communications Commission chairman urged the industry, local governments and safety officials on Friday to cooperate to install Enhanced 911 service that allows operators to locate cell phone users who need help.
“It has to be a partnership,” said Michael Powell, who toured an emergency call center in Alexandria, Va., that is using the new technology. “There are three things that make this difficult: complexity, coordination and bucks.”
Creating a system for locating cell phone users who call 911 has been a challenge for wireless companies, regulators and workers at the nation’s 7,000 emergency dispatch centers.
Industry officials say they are largely meeting FCC deadlines to implement E911 service by providing improved cellular networks and phone handsets with locator technology.
Public safety officials say the technology works, but a lack of money from cash-strapped state and local governments is slowing the rollout of service. Only one in 10 emergency call centers has the equipment needed to locate callers, according to the National Emergency Number Association.
—
On the Net:
Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov
AP-ES-06-20-03 1851EDT
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.