March 1999 
 

Number of wireless 9-1-1 calls increasing

Caller location part of E911 plan

Imagine having a medical emergency. You call a 911 operator on your wireless phone, but you can't - or aren't able to - accurately describe where you are. And because your call is not on a "wireline" phone, the 911 system's screen doesn't automatically show your phone number and location. A nightmare? Most of us would think so.

To try to limit such scenarios and help public safety officials, a 1996 FCC order requires all wireless networks connecting to the public switched telephone network to implement enhanced 911 (E911) services by October 2001. But that date may be ambitious for two reasons. Though the FCC set April 1998, as the deadline for implementing Phase I of its plan - wireless carrier operators have to pass a wireless phone's number and cell site to a public safety answering point (PSAP) - less than five percent of the country has reached this goal. Phase II of the order adds a more difficult requirement. The wireless system must automatically be able to pinpoint a wireless phone's location within a 125-meter radius (410 feet) two-thirds of the time. While the technology exists, various competing designs from more than 20 companies are still being tested.

The Changing Scene

It's important to deal with this whole situation soon because the scope of the problem is changing quickly. There are already more than 80,000 wireless 911 calls made daily in the U.S. An estimated 25 percent of these callers can't accurately describe their location, making dispatching of assistance difficult. Wireless calls already represent about 30 percent of the 911 total. The National Emergency Number Association estimates that wireless 911 calls will exceed calls made from wired phones in five years, and expects wireless calls to be as much as three-fourths of the 911 aggregate in 10 years.

While the whole issue is complex, it can basically be broken down into three areas - technical questions, costs and cost recovery, and carrier liability.

The Technical Issue

Though wireless companies are not regulated by the state, they must follow the rules for 911 set by the agency that oversees the system, the Department of Administration. To implement Phase I of the FCC's wireless E911 order, the department has decided that carriers will use a technology called feature group D. Wireless carriers see problems with this decision.

"The Phase I solution promoted by the state doesn't lend itself to Phase II," says Dennis Miller, president of Midwest Wireless and 1997-98 chair of the Minnesota Telephone Association's Wireless Committee. "The technology won't transition, so why invest the public's money when you can't use the technology for Phase II? We want to have a system that's best for the public. I think we should take the time to get it right the first time."

Paul Cassidy, director of government relations for Winthrop and Weinstine, PA, echoes Miller. Legislative counsel for AirTouch, Cassidy also works with other wireless carriers on the E911 issue. "Our position is that it's the industry's choice what technology to use," he says. "As long as we create a seamless system for calls to PSAPs, it shouldn't matter to the state what technology we use. We think the technology the state wants to implement for Phase I is 'throwaway.' We need to implement fairly complex technology for Phase II, so we would like what goes in for Phase I to last a few years."

Jim Beutelspacher, state 911 product manager for the Department of Administration, admits the Phase I technology the state wants is "throwaway." He says that while the state doesn't require carriers to use a technology they prefer for Phase I (service control point or SCP), that technology is allowed. He thinks some are objecting because Minnesota's requirements won't allow companies to use uniform technology nationally. "It's time to put in Phase I," he says. "There are too many calls coming in without PSAPs knowing the call's location. And since we're willing to pay for the costs, I don't see a problem if we decide what technology to use." (Editor's note: State fees collected from wireless customers are funding this project.) Beutelspacher also wants Phase I done quickly because he thinks carriers might be late for Phase II. "What assurances do we have that carriers will be ready for Phase II when they weren't able to meet Phase I?"

Miller and Cassidy have another worry about the state's technology choice - that it's too slow for the public (the Phase II-compatible technology that carriers prefer will have set-up times similar to those for wireline phones). In tests, callers had to wait more than 10 seconds for calls to "set up" (start ringing); sometimes, they waited as long as 20 seconds. The concern is that impatient, even frantic callers, thinking calls are not going through, will hang up and redial, delaying help even further. Carriers also worry that their liability may rise because of slow connections.

Though admitting that call set-up times for feature group D technology averaged about 14 seconds in tests, Beutelspacher notes that this is only about eight seconds slower than normal wireless calls and six seconds slower than wireline's average. He also thinks the times can be improved.

Other Issues

While the last legislative session lessened in-dustry concerns about members' liability, the role of local exchange companies in wireless E911 is yet to be clearly defined. Costs and a cost recovery system (allowed by the FCC) also require attention. "There will be continuing costs for computer-based mapping and administration," says Miller, "and each company will have different costs, so we need to know what's covered and what's not." Cassidy says companies will have a lot of capital expenses. Estimates vary between $15,000 and $40,000 per cell site. An alternate, in handsets, will be cheaper, but must be included with every new phone.

A bill introduced in the current session would set up a separate chapter (404) for wireless and establish an advisory committee comprised of representatives from the wireless industry, the state, various law enforcement agencies and the League of Minnesota Cities. This committee would put in a cost recovery system and set up a formal process to address technical issues, call routing and disputes. "We want more structure and accountability," says Cassidy. "The industry is in the dark about how the money collected from our customers for 911 is being utilized."

The state currently collects 27 cents for each line to cover 911 costs. By law, that number is capped at 30 cents. Miller is worried that won't be enough to cover Phase II, noting that some states' caps exceed a dollar. Beutelspacher notes that PSAPs and counties already think their share of the 27 cents is not enough. The proposed legislation won't suggest raising Minnesota's cap if revenues accumulating since July '97 are sufficient to allow the industry to implement the Phase II technology it wants.

The Next Step

For Beutelspacher, the next step is getting signed contracts from metro wireless carriers to use feature group D technology. The industry would like the proposed legislation passed. But most of all, everyone wants a system that works for the public. Any system will require the integration of different technologies now being developed, and the cooperation between various groups. There are doubts that consumer charges will be adequate to recover carriers' costs, but few would argue with these words of Cassidy: "We will have a wonderful public safety program. Wireless phones will do incredible things to help people."

PROFILE: Pine Island Telephone Company

Pine Island Telephone Company has served Pine Island, Oronoco and the surrounding area for 103 years. That doesn't mean the company is behind the times. In fact, Pine Island offers the high-tech services many customers need, whether they telecommute, work for Rochester's two biggest employers (IBM and the Mayo Clinic), or run a successful Internet company selling cheese boxes and home beer and wine-making supplies.

With nine employees and over 3,000 access lines, Pine Island also offers cable TV and Internet services. The company is currently working with Mayo on a project that allows elderly people with health problems, as well as people who are disabled, to stay in their homes. Caregivers keep tabs on their "patients" through a desktop video system.

In addition to employees' numerous volunteer efforts (4-H, Jaycees, Scouts, schools, churches, coaching, firefighting, etc.), the company provides free office space and utilities to the local economic development authority. Pine Island also put almost $70,000 in the authority's revolving loan fund, which the company administers free. In addition, Pine Island Telephone Company sponsored a $400,000 Rural Utilities Services loan which resulted in 100 new jobs for the area.

Advanced services are the key, according to Richard Keane, general manager (and current president of the Minnesota Telephone Association). "A Twin Cities based computer company, Help Systems, Inc., opened a branch here because many of its employees wanted a small-town life," he says, "but the company wouldn't be here if we hadn't invested in the information superhighway. Because we could provide the high-speed facilities Help Systems needed at a competitive cost, it kept highly-skilled employees, and our area gained a business that attracts well-paid people and keeps a downtown building occupied. That's the sort of challenge - and opportunity - the future of rural telecommunications holds."