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p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.Default, li.Default, div.Default { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; color: black; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.Default, li.Default, div.Default { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; color: black; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }Six states used a total of almost $77 million collected for 911 implementation for other purposes in 2011, the GAO said in a report released Thursday. The six states are Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, New York and Rhode Island. “Using funds in this way is permissible by state law in these states, but it creates the risk of undermining the credibility of 911 fees in those states,” GAO said (http://1.usa.gov/17sEwN7). It said states are making progress on E-911 and that as of March, 98 percent of public safety answering points are capable of receiving Phase I location information and 97 percent have implemented Phase II for at least one carrier. While the FCC collects information on the diversion of E-911 funds, its methods need improvement, GAO said. “Specifically, in its approach, FCC (1) uses only open-ended questions to solicit information from states, (2) lacks written guidelines for interpreting states’ responses and ensuring that results can be reproduced, and (3) does not describe the methodology used to analyze the information in states’ reports,” GAO said. New York led the six states in the amount of funds collected that didn’t go to 911. “According to state officials, New York transferred $45 million from the State Wireless Telephone Emergency Account to the state’s general fund, and made similar transfers to the general fund in 2009 and 2010,” the report said. “According to state officials, the transfer of these funds, authorized by state statute, did not affect the ability of the state to reimburse municipalities for approved 911 expenditures or to otherwise support its 911 programs.” Georgia collected $13.7 million in 911 fees for prepaid wireless phones but did not allocate any of that money to pay for 911 improvements.