The Computer & Communications Industry Association endorsed the industry road map for ensuring indoor location accuracy for wireless calls to 911, released last month by the four major carriers, APCO and the National Emergency Number Association, in reply comments filed at the FCC. But as in the earlier comment round (see 1411180051), many first responders expressed concern about the plan. Replies are due Wednesday at the FCC in docket 07-114. The FCC proposed rules in a February NPRM (see 1402210038).
The FCC is fully committed to “closing the gap” in wireless indoor location accuracy, FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson said in a blog post. The issue is “one of the highest-priority” items at the FCC, he said. Simpson said the agency is looking closely at the industry road map, agreed to by the four major carriers, APCO and the National Emergency Number Association. “The commitments made in the Roadmap reflect hard work by all the parties to improve public safety outcomes and establish a timeline for implementation,” Simpson said. But some in the public safety community are critical of the plan, he said: “They have concerns regarding the pace of achievement, measures of effectiveness, and accountability for results. These parties have urged the Commission to reject the Roadmap and adopt its original proposal.” The road map has been controversial, with numerous public safety groups objecting (see 1412150061). A divided FCC approved an NPRM proposing a different set of rules in February (see 1402210038).
The FCC should act “in short order” to pause, effective June 30, 2014, reductions in intercarrier compensation rates for originating intrastate VoIP traffic, said the National Exchange Carrier Association, NTCA and WTA in a Dec. 16 letter to the commission, posted in docket 10-90 Wednesday. The groups filed an emergency petition July 7, seeking relief from the reductions, and argued they had been approved under the assumption that Connect America Fund reforms would be in place to offset the loss for smaller carriers (see 1409030031). If granted, the pause should remain in place until the USF reforms are enacted, the letter said.
The FCC should act “in short order” to pause, effective June 30, 2014, reductions in intercarrier compensation rates for originating intrastate VoIP traffic, said National Exchange Carrier Association, NTCA and WTA in a Dec. 16 letter to the commission, posted in docket 10-90 Wednesday. The groups filed an emergency petition on July 7, seeking relief from the reductions, and argued they had been approved under the assumption that Connect America Fund reforms would be in place to offset the loss for smaller carriers (see 1409030031). If granted, the pause should remain in place until the USF reforms are enacted, the letter said.
While most groups and individual companies refrained Wednesday from immediately reacting to President Barack Obama's plan to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba or to the commercial implications of the decision, CEA showed little hesitation in hailing the initiative. "We commend President Obama for taking steps designed to promote the emergence of a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba," CEA President Gary Shapiro said in a statement.
While most groups and individual companies refrained Wednesday from immediately reacting to President Barack Obama's plan to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba or to the commercial implications of the decision, CEA showed little hesitation in hailing the initiative. "We commend President Obama for taking steps designed to promote the emergence of a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba," CEA President Gary Shapiro said in a statement.
While most groups and individual companies refrained Wednesday from immediately reacting to President Barack Obama's plan to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba or to the commercial implications of the decision, CEA showed little hesitation in hailing the initiative. "We commend President Obama for taking steps designed to promote the emergence of a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba," CEA President Gary Shapiro said in a statement.
The FCC is unlikely to adopt the proposed industry road map for ensuring indoor location accuracy for calls to 911, released last month by the four major carriers, APCO and the National Emergency Number Association, without some significant tweaks, industry officials said Tuesday. The plan has been controversial, with numerous public safety groups objecting (see 1412150061). The FCC approved an NPRM proposing a different set of rules in February (see 1402210038).
A plan released last month by the four major carriers, APCO and the National Emergency Number Association, on a road map for ensuring indoor location accuracy for calls to 911, got mixed reviews. Public safety and state groups commented to the FCC that it should stay the course on its earlier proposal for indoor location accuracy.
Proponents of an industry road map for improving location accuracy for wireless calls made indoors explained details of the proposal at a meeting at the FCC, said an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 07-114. The plan was unveiled last month by AT&T, APCO, CTIA, the National Emergency Number Association, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (see 1411190064). The meeting focused on the “formation of a test bed, dispatchable location commitments, improvements in and deployments of horizontal location technologies, steps to advance vertical location technologies providing back-up solutions for indoor calls, and metrics and deliverables,” the filing said. The industry representatives met with officials from the FCC's Disability Rights Office and the Public Safety Bureau, the filing said. AARP said in a filing that the agency should move forward on its own proposal for location accuracy rules laid out in a February NPRM (see 1402210038). "The carriers’ agreement does not provide accountability or assurance that its plan would be effective," AARP said. "The FCC’s proposed rules provide specific, fair and measurable requirements for indoor location accuracy." AT&T fired a shot at the Find Me 911 coalition and TruePosition over their arguments against the road map. “TruePosition and its fully-controlled FindMe911 coalition is at it again, spreading misinformation and ill-informed criticisms of the APCO, NENA [National Emergency Number Association], and Wireless Industry Roadmap for Improving Location Accuracy,” said Joe Marx, assistant vice president-federal regulatory, in a blog post Friday. He countered arguments that the industry proposal is based on untested technologies. “Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies have been in use for years in commercial location services, and are central to the current wireless ecosystem in ways that will drive strong incentives for further innovation and lasting relevance for years to come,” he said. “The phone companies seem to think if they repeat what is not true often enough, people will ignore the actual wording of the plan they proposed,” said Jamie Barnett, lawyer at Venable who represents the coalition. “Here is what is absolutely true: before the roadmap, the phone companies were against the FCC’s proposed rules because it would hold them accountable. Now they are for the roadmap because it will allow the phone companies to escape accountability for location accuracy. No one should be fooled by this Trojan Horse.” The road map does propose use of untested technologies, relying on creation of a "National Emergency Address Database,” he said. “Instead of enforceable and concrete benchmarks to locate callers, the phone company plan is based on process-oriented steps like ‘tests,’ ‘demonstrations,’ and ‘studies,’ coupled with nice-sounding goals for the deployment of specific, minimal-cost handset technologies that have failed in the past to provide accurate indoor locations.”