FCC Approves Long-Awaited Wireless Location Accuracy Rules

The FCC rejected a move by Verizon Wireless to tweak the rules for CDMA carriers. Under Verizon’s agreement with APCO and NENA, the carrier would have been allowed to exclude data from up to 15 percent of counties from being taken into account in assessing its accuracy in pinpointing the emergency calls, provided the counties were forested. Verizon asked for a change, allowing it to exclude 15 percent of counties for “any reason.” Verizon worked out an agreement for CDMA carriers and AT&T one for GSM carriers two years ago with the public safety groups. The order also requires wireless carriers to share caller location accuracy and reliability data with 911 call centers, letting them more quickly identify and address problems in E911 service.

The order “will give first responders a better chance at locating callers much faster,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “It will enhance the public’s safety.” When Americans call 911 on a wireline phone, first responders receive location information that’s accurate more than 98 percent of the time, he noted. When they call from a cellphone, first responders are about 50 percent less likely to receive precise information about the location. “The inaccuracy is not just a few feet, but up to one or two miles -- and sometimes no location information at all,” Genachowski said.

"We have come a good long distance since I came to the agency in 2001,” said Commissioner Michael Copps. “I arrived at a time when carriers were regularly missing deadlines for deploying E911, manufacturers were failing to make equipment and software available quickly enough, and technology was still pretty basic. … With the consensus adopted in today’s Order, I think we are clearly on the right road.” Copps said he remains worried about service in those areas that carriers would be able to exclude as they calculate accuracy. “I expect carriers even in those areas excluded … to take every step technologically possible to maximize location accuracy for E911 calls and to do it with the sense of urgency that the safety of the people compels,” he said.

Through the rulemaking and inquiry, the FCC is “promoting a meaningful discussion on the longer term requirements for 911 capabilities,” said Commissioner Robert McDowell. “We are posing tough questions on the effect of location accuracy and automatic location identification improvements, including indoor testing capabilities, as well as the applicability of E911 requirements to additional wireless communications services, devices and applications, among other issues."

The rulemaking notice examines the state of wireless location technologies, other possible modifications to the accuracy requirements, the testing methodology that carriers should employ to verify their compliance with the rules, and whether the FCC should establish a mandatory schedule for accuracy testing, said Patrick Donovan. He presented the order for the Public Safety Bureau. The item also examines how location information and accuracy can be improved in “more challenging” environments, and how location accuracy can be improved while roaming, he said.

The notice of inquiry asks broader questions about how to improve 911 service for VoIP subscribers. “First, the NOI focuses on whether the commission should require providers of interconnected VoIP services to automatically identify the geographic location of a customer without the customer’s active cooperation,” Donovan said. “Second, the NOI explores whether the Commission’s 911 and E911 rules should apply to non-interconnected VoIP service providers.” The NOI also looks at how location accuracy and automatic location identification requirements will be affected by the deployment of next-generation 911 systems.