TIA Urges Broad Body to Write E-911 Location Accuracy Rules
TIA Monday asked the FCC to name an E-911 technical advisory committee to help develop location-accuracy rules for wireless E-911. For that to happen TIA must persuade FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who said last month that creating such a body could slow arrival of final location accuracy rules.
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T-Mobile and the Rural Cellular Association previously asked the FCC to create a committee similar to the Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee that wrote rules for emergency alerts to cellphones. They were concerned that the main proposals at the FCC were developed by AT&T and Verizon Wireless, working with public safety groups but without broader industry input. At a Sept. 24 press conference, Martin said he saw no need for a special panel.
Danielle Coffey, TIA vice president for government affairs, said the committee approach would lead to rules with broader industry support. “We expect Martin to examine the proposal carefully as there is support across the industry,” Coffey told us. “Like the CMSAAC, this group will find solutions to highly technical questions requiring telecommunications engineering expertise which to date has not been provided in a pan-industry fashion … Effective implementation of the ETAG will likely ensure the swiftest manner of accurate implementation, thus avoiding delays resulting from failures due to non coordination. Because of these concerns and renewed interest in this matter it is not clear that Martin will oppose [the committee] and TIA hopes he does not.”
The FCC sought comment on the proposals Verizon Wireless and AT&T carriers submitted with APCO and the National Emergency Number Association. “The involvement of the entire industry is necessary to ensure that this effort to address location accuracy produces a better result than previous attempts,” TIA said.
“You're going to see support for this by the other commissioners,” said a wireless industry official. “Committees like the CMSAAC usually work. They have been proven to lead to rules that have broad support.”
“RCA strongly supports the creation of an E-911 Technical Advisory Group or other special committee to address open E-911 location accuracy issues on a going forward basis,” said an attorney for the group. RCA “believes that all interested parties would benefit from such collaborative work.”