FCC Wants Input on Unreg’d 911 Calls

The FCC is asking for input from the public safety community on 911 calls from uninitialized wireless telephones, and how they are causing problems for comm centers and dispatchers. A group of public safety agencies and organizations recently filed a Petition for a Notice of Inquiry with the FCC pointing out the large number of calls from phones that aren’t registered with any cellular carrier. They noted that FCC regulations require that all 911 calls be delivered to a PSAP, whether or not the phone has regular service. The petition noted that many of the calls are pranks, and that they consume resources that comm centers could be using to handle real emergencies. A Hayward (Calif.) man was recently arrested after making at least 27,000 nuisance calls from an unregistered wireless phone. In its request, the FCC asks for, “public comments, analysis and information on the nature and the extent of the problem for PSAPs across the nation in responding to fraudulent calls; carriers’ legal and technical concerns with blocking 911 calls from wireless NSI phones and potential ways to make this a more viable option.” Download (pdf) the FCC’s formal invitation to comment here.