Charter Communications has agreed it will pay $15 million for failing to notify public safety answering points about a trio of network outages in early 2023 that affected 911 service, the FCC Enforcement Bureau said Monday. The bureau said Charter also acknowledged it didn't meet other network outage reporting system (NORS) deadlines tied to numerous planned maintenance outages. In addition, it said Charter didn't notify more than 1,000 PSAPs about a Feb. 19 outage and didn't meet NORS reporting deadlines tied to that outage and to March 31 and April 26 outages. Charter didn't comment.
The global outage of Microsoft systems caused by a software update from cybersecurity company Crowdstrike grounded airplanes globally and affected some broadcasters and 911 systems but spared others, reports from multiple companies and state agencies said.
All public safety answering points were back online Friday morning in the Texas areas that Hurricane Beryl hit, though three were having their calls rerouted, according to the FCC’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2407110060). It said cellular networks continue to improve. Just 10.6% of cellsites are reported down, an improvement from Thursday's 15%. In addition, it said 497,793 cable and wireline subscribers are without service, up from 455,820 the previous day. No AM stations were listed as out of service, an improvement from Thursday’s two; four FM stations, the same as Thursday, remained out.
Nearly 15% of cellsites in the Texas area that Hurricane Beryl hit were down Thursday, an improvement from Wednesday’s 20%, according to the FCC’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2407100056). Eight public safety answering points are having their calls rerouted, one fewer than Wednesday. 455,820 cable and wireline subscribers are without service, an improvement from 527,700 the previous day. Four FMs and two AM stations were listed as out of service compared with Wednesday’s five FMs and one AM.
Six Texas counties remain in the disaster area of Hurricane Beryl, the FCC said in Wednesday’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2407090047). The alert encompasses Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Matagorda counties. Humble Police Department (Harris County) was down, the report said, and nine public safety answering points are having their calls rerouted. Nearly 20% of cellsites are reported down in the affected counties, an improvement from Tuesday’s 28.7%, and 527,700 cable and wireline subscribers are without service, an improvement from 803,501 on Tuesday. No TV stations were reported down, but five FMs and one AM station were listed as out of service. Tuesday's report listed two FM and two AM stations down.
The three major U.S. wireless carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, told the FCC it’s too early for rules on using supplemental coverage from space (SCS) to improve calling to 911. Their message was contained in reply comments posted through Tuesday in docket 23-65. The FCC's SCS framework order approved in March (see 2403140050) included a Further NPRM asking about 911 and radio astronomy issues. Specifically, the FNPRM looks at whether the FCC should mandate location-based routing requirements for SCS emergency communications.
The number of cable, wireline and cellular customers without service due to the wildfires in New Mexico’s Lincoln and Otero counties is largely unchanged from Thursday, said a disaster information reporting system update Friday. The report shows nine more cable and wireline customers without service in addition to the 2,877 reported Thursday, and 22 downed cellular sites. There were 29 previously, the report said. In addition, the report shows that all public safety answering points in the counties are operational, but two TV stations and two FM transmitters are off the air. AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have deployed 14 mobile assets to the affected area, the report said. The agency has also released public notices on 24/7 contact information for the agency during the fires, the availability of priority communication services and a reminder to repair crews to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.
Nebraska signed a five-year contract with RapidSOS that will provide enhancements for next-generation 911 at the state’s 67 public safety answering points, the Nebraska Public Service Commission said Friday. One feature of the upgrade is that PSAPs will be able to get location information from wireless callers even if the carrier can’t deliver the call, the PSC said. “Many Nebraska PSAPs currently utilize RapidSOS,” said PSC State 911 Director David Sankey. “Elevating all PSAPs to the company’s UNITE modules, will provide even more tools to supplement caller location capabilities should a disruption in wireless service occur.”
Colorado gave final approval for laws on 911 and privacy. On Friday, Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed SB-139, which would create a 911 services enterprise within the Department of Regulatory Agencies that could impose a user fee of up to 50 cents monthly per 911 access connection. Revenue from the new fee, which would be separate and in addition to an existing 911 surcharge imposed by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, would fund 911 costs and expenses including statewide training, cybersecurity support, geographic information system programs, grants for public safety answering points and governing bodies and matching funds for 911 or emergency notification service grants. Also, Polis signed bills amending the Colorado Privacy Act to enhance protections for biometric identifiers (HB-1130) and children’s data (SB-41). The kids’ privacy bill would cover minors younger than 13. In addition, the bill would ban controllers from selling a minor’s data or using it for targeted advertising or profiling unless they obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian.
The National Emergency Number Association told the FCC its members have been overwhelmed by the number of notifications they are receiving under new reporting rules (see 2401250015). NENA representatives met with staff from the Public Safety Bureau, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-89. “The volume of notifications makes the notification process unhelpful … as there are too many notifications" for public safety answering points "to make meaningful operational decisions for notifications that may or may not apply to them,” NENA said: “Notifications may cover all PSAPs for a very large area, such as multiple states, without geospatial or other information to communicate the exact scope of the notification or whether the PSAP should act on it.”