The massive growth of mobile phones has changed the landscape for 911 and E911 services. A significant number of citizens only have a mobile phone, as wired phone service continues to decline.
The wired phone is associated with a physical address so locating the phone is fast and accurate. This is not true for mobile phones - especially for calls originating indoors. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently soliciting comments on rule changes that would increase mobile phone location accuracy and timeliness as well as cover calls originating indoors.
FCC Emphasizes the Problem
FCC Chairman Thomas E. Wheeler stated in an FCC document, "One of the Commission's most important responsibilities is to preserve certain core values even as technology advances and the way that consumers use that technology evolves. Nowhere is that imperative more clear than in the arena of public safety. Our E911 location accuracy rules were written when wireless phones were a secondary means of communication, and were mostly used outside. Today, more and more consumers use wireless phones as their primary means of communication, and more and more 911 calls are coming from wireless phones, from indoors."
Mobile 911 Effectiveness
It is estimated that of the 240 million calls placed yearly to 911, almost 70% originate from mobile devices. Almost 50% are made inside a building.
Location accuracy is extremely important for domestic violence victims, those who are members of the deaf and hard of hearing communities, and children who do not know where they are located when calling 911.
The FindMe911 coalition reports that 45% of children live in wireless-only households. About 50% of households in poverty rely on wireless-only access. Twenty-two percent of senior citizens depend on mobile technologies for life saving access to emergency services.
FindMe911 is an effort of more than 100,000 individuals and an increasing number of local and national organizations representing a broad range of 911 operators and first responders, including but not limited to emergency medical services personnel, fire fighters, and police. FindMe911 issued a document that discusses their support of expanding the mobile 911 rules.
Why a Change in the Rules
Currently, the FCC E911 mobile phone location accuracy requirements only cover calls originating outdoors. There is no requirement for calls originating indoors. The present rules do not protect the many "cell phone only" households or anyone placing a 911 call from indoors.
The preferred E911 location technology of wireless carriers is GPS. This works well for outdoor calls in unobstructed areas where the cell phone has a clear path to GPS satellites. This technology is not reliable or accurate in many indoor locations like office buildings, public venues, hotels, and parking garages or other locations where the path to the GPS satellites is obstructed.
The New Rules
Mobile users' growing dependence on mobile phones and the reported failures in locating callers in a timely manner have prompted the development of new rules. The new rules would require mobile carriers to provide 911 emergency dispatchers caller locations within 100 meters after their first connection with a cell phone tower. This distance would be reduced to 50 meters after the dispatchers search using location accuracy technology like GPS. The rules also include a requirement for vertical location. This provides the ability to find what floor and building callers are located in when calling.
The Cost
The mobile providers will have to pay for the improvements. Mobile phones will have to have GPS capability. Most do today, but that does not mean GPS is always on. There will probably be a requirement that GPS be always on and included as a basic part of the mobile service, not an option. A concern is that such an always-on location service can be privacy invading and susceptible to spying.
The Biggest Benefits
The real benefit is that according to the FindMe911 article, it is estimated by the FCC that once the rules are implemented, they will save at least 10,000 lives per year. This is in addition to mitigating the effects of life changing injuries due to strokes, heart attacks, and falls especially by senior citizens.
