Workshop Examines 911 Location Problems, Fixes

During a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) workshop on Monday about 911 Phase II locating, the audience heard that the percentage of wireless calls is steadily increasing, fewer Phase II calls are being received, but also industry claims that there are solutions for improving location accuracy. The workshop spotlighted growing complaints by state 911 agencies that wireless carriers are providing fewer Phase II locations for 911 calls, degrading the accuracy of the caller’s location. In California, for example, state figures show Phase II service has dropped from 59.3% to just 43.3% since 2010. The workshop included participants from California’s Office of Emergency Services, which handles 911 services, along with Spring, T-Mobile, Intrado and several wireless location technology companies. In one presentation by NextNav LLC, the company said that the challenges to implementing improved location accuracy “are minor,” compared to when Phase II rules were originally rolled out. The tech companies specifically said that improved indoor location accuracy for 911 calls was feasible. Polaris Wireless said in its presentation that, “There are no technological or monetary barriers to achieving the location accuracy and yield requirements in the Commission’s Phase II E911 location mandate.” Check the workshop’s Web page for video for the workshop and participant presentations in Acrobat (pdf) format. Read about the workshop discussion on declining 911 call location accuracy.