Funding for next-generation E-911 services should be set in light...

“The public has made the decision that this is important to their communities,” said Sen. Burns (R- Mont.). He asked panelists how to replace the access fee system with other means, such as a tax on localities, to raise money for upgrading the system. “A lot of people don’t know how expensive these systems are to maintain,” he said. Experts couldn’t agree on what would work. “We need to explore a range of issues,” said Greg Rohde, exec. dir. of the E-911 Institute. Congress should mandate an “expanded role” for the federal govt. in enabling better management of advanced E-911 services, said National Emergency Numbering Assn. Pres. David Jones. Agencies overseeing the services should stay abreast of technological change, he said. A hodgepodge of local and state oversight of E-911 services means there’s no centralized coordination, since systems originally ran locally, Jones and others said. Legislation proposed this Congress has focused on ensuring that VoIP providers extend E-911 coverage to their subscribers. A video franchise bill approved last week by the House Commerce Committee has an amendment requiring compliance by VoIP providers. The Senate Commerce Committee okayed a bill sponsored by Burns and Sens. Nelson (D-Fla.) and Clinton (D- N.Y.), but the committee’s telecom bill didn’t include those provisions.