E911

Dale Hatfield - Top U.S. Wireless Innovators of All Time

Sue Marek — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:18:11 -0500

Hatfield has worked tirelessly on spectrum management issues and telecom reform for nearly four decades. Early in his career, he worked for the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and then left to form Hatfield Associations in 1982. In 1997, he returned to the FCC as chief technologist and then as chief of its office of engineering. He retired in December 2000.

Probably best-known for writing the Hatfield Report, which detailed several issues pertaining to the deployment of wireless E911 service, Hatfield today works as an independent consultant and an adjunct professor in the interdisciplinary telecommunications program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

AT&T deploys A-GPS throughout network

Sue Marek — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:59:01 -0400

AT&T deployed assisted GPS technology throughout its network, paving the way for more enhanced location-based services. The carrier, which initially deployed a cell-site triangulation technology to meet the 2006 FCC E-911 requirements, has now added GPS to its technology portfolio.

AT&T also announced it will launch two new navigation applications in the coming weeks, MapQuest Navigator and AAA Mobile navigator. In addition, the operator hinted that it would soon be expanding into other LBS categories including location-enabled social networking and a family-oriented service along with privacy controls.

For more:
- see this press release

Related article:
AT&T's Collins talks LBS, music and MediaFLO

FCC asks appeals court to throw out E911 rules

Sue Marek — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:57:12 -0400

The FCC has asked a federal appeals court to dump the enhanced 911 location accuracy rules, which were approved last November but have not yet been put into effect. The commission said that the public safety community supports a relaxed standard. Recently the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) told the FCC that measuring the wireless E911 accuracy at the public safety answer point level was unworkable in practice and that compliance measurements should be accepted at the county level.

The mobile phone industry has lobbied for assessing E911 location accuracy by statewide average. However, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has said this method is too lax and would not protect consumers who make 911 calls on their cell phones.

For more:
- see this RCR story

Related articles:
D.C. Court puts the brakes on E911
FCC Clarifies E911 Accuracy Requirements

Carriers push E-911 lawsuit

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

U.S. wireless carriers have filed a new lawsuit that aims to push the FCC to change its E-911 accuracy guidelines and 2008 deadline for compliance. At the heart of the argument is the way that the FCC determines compliance with E-911 location accuracy: The carriers want the commission to use state-wide averaging to determine compliance, while the FCC wants to make carriers meet location accuracy requirements based on public-safety answering point service areas. While the carriers dispute that methodology, they also wanted to push back the first deadline of September 11, 2008, which the FCC agreed to do last week. The new deadline is March 11, 2009.

For more on the E-911 debate:
- read this article from RCR News

Sprint faces class action lawsuit over billing

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Sprint Nextel faces a class action lawsuit that accuses the carrier of charging data card users certain taxes and fees that only apply to mobile phones. The Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) is facilitating the suit, which it claims could end up costing Sprint millions. UCAN said fees for 911 services, SMS services and other FCC mandated fees for mobile phones should not be billed to data card users.

"They went ahead and charged these customers state regulatory taxes as well as federal related charges that they shouldn't have been charging," says UCAN attorney Art Neill.

For more on the suit:
- read this article from NBC San Diego

ALSO NOTED: SMBs need wireless; Telstra's Next G network; and much more...

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:59:50 -0400

> AT&T survey finds that 42 percent of small businesses would struggle to survive without wireless. Release

> Telstra's new data network is twice as fast. Article

> AT&T has to suspend its parental controls because of an E911 glitch. Article

And Finally... Microsoft mulls acquiring a 5 percent stake in Facebook for between $300 and $500 million. Article

FCC clarifies e911 accuracy requirements

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 06:59:54 -0400

Now that carriers in violation of Phase I e911 requirements have been fined, the FCC ruled that wireless carriers must meet e911 Phase II location accuracy requirements at the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) service area level. The next phase will require carriers to meet interim and annual benchmarks through September 11, 2012. The three key requirements to Phase II include:

Fulfilling the FCC's location accuracy requirements within each economic area a carrier operates by September 11, 2008.
Satisfying the FCC's location accuracy requirements within metropolitan and rural service areas, and achieving PSAP compliance in 75 percent of these areas by September 11, 2010.
Finally, achieving full compliance by September 11, 2012.

So far, the CTIA is the only representative from the carrier side of the debate to issue a response to the next phase in e911 requirements: "In addition to today's item being procedurally flawed," CTIA CEO Steve Largent said, "I am concerned that the Commission's action may lead to unrealistic--and potentially harmful--consumer expectations. I had hoped the Commission would move forward in a collaborative effort involving experts from industry, public safety, and government. I am sorry to see that is not the case."

So is this next phase of e911 unrealistic? Or does it not go far enough? Let us know your thoughts.

For more on the new requirements:
- read this press release from the FCC
- read FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's statement
- read the press release from the CTIA in full

Related Articles:
FCC denies e911 extensions Article
e911 deadline passed without fanfare, repercussions Article
FCC repeals e911 deadline, adds marketing provisions Article

Verizon targets seniors with Coupe

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Verizon Wireless is taking a cue from Great Call, the senior-focused MVNO that offers the Jitterbug service, and targeting the over-65 age group with a wireless phone and a selection of rate plans. The Verizon phone, called the Coupe, costs $19.99 with a two-year contract, and features a dedicated 911 key and three programmable in-case-of-emergency keys.

The senior-dedicated service has two rate plan options: The America's Choice 65 Plus Single Line plan offers 200 anytime minutes and 500 night and weekend minutes for $29.99 per month. The American's Choice 65 Plus Two Line Plan offers 450 shared anytime minutes and 1,000 night and weekend minutes for $59.99 monthly access.

Although Verizon's smart to target this market, Iain Gillott, founder of iGR Research, said that the company's offering leaves a lot to be desired. "I think Verizon has started down the path but they haven't gone all the way yet. I'm surprised they didn't put a camera in this phone."

In an iGR study released today on the senior market, the firm found that most seniors that have wireless phones use the camera and the calendar functionality but they don't use text messaging or access the Web. The study estimates that approximately 10 percent of seniors (or 3.5 million) want a wireless phone but don't have one. "If a carrier can get the service and the phone right, they have a potential 3.5 million subscriber market available today," Gillott said.

For more on senior-oriented wireless services:
- see this press release from Verizon Wireless
- see this study from iGR

FCC 07-156 STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:33:33 -0400

Federal Communications Commission
FCC 07-156
STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN

Re: In the Matter of Alltel Corporation, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, EB-07-SE-
008

Re: In the Matter of Sprint Nextel Corporation, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, EB-07-SE-006

Re: In the Matter of US Cellular Corporation, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, EB-07-SE-009

Ensuring that E911 service meets the needs of public safety and the expectations of the American people is a top priority of mine and of the Commission. I recognize that the public expects us to get these issues right. One of my first actions when I became Chairman was to ensure that all Americans could pick up the phone and dial 911 and connect to emergency services whether they were using a wireline, wireless or Internet phone. On the wireless side, Americans increasingly expect that dialing 911 also means first responders can pinpoint a callerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s location, even when the caller is incapacitated or does not know where he or she is. To this end, the FCC required all carriers to ensure that 95% of their subscribers have handsets that are location capable by December 31, 2005.

Alltel, Sprint Nextel, and U.S. Cellular failed to meet this critical deadline by a significant margin, despite the clear requirements of the Commission and the needs of their consumers. While we recognize the efforts undertaken by the carriers, and encourage the continued efforts of all carriers to enhance these life-saving technologies and work with the public safety community, the fines issued today are significant and appropriate. Our actions today underscore the critical importance that 911 services play in the lives of the public. I continue to believe that one of the CommissionÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s highest obligations is facilitating the ability of the public safety community to help those in need. Effective enforcement of our E911 rules is a valuable and necessary tool in achieving this mission.

Sprint, Alltel, USC fined for missed e911 deadline

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The FCC has fined Sprint, Alltel and U.S. Cellular a total of $2.83 million for not meeting the December 31, 2005 deadline for enhanced 911 services. By the end of 2005, all wireless carriers had to ensure that 95 percent of their subscribers had location-enabled handsets that could allow 911 responders to find them in an emergency. According to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the three carriers "failed to meet this critical deadline by a significant margin, despite the clear requirements of the commission and the needs of their consumers."

Sprint Nextel missed the 95 percent requirement by the widest margin: Only 81 percent of its subscribers had location-enabled handsets by the end of 2005. The FCC fined Sprint $1.33 million. Alltel only reached an 84 percent penetration rate by the deadline and took 17 months to make it to 95 percent. The FCC fined it $1 million. U.S. Cellular had a 89 percent penetration rate at deadline and reached 95 percent some eight months later. The FCC has penalized it $500,000.

Now the carriers have 30 days to pay up or to petition the fees.

Alltel's spokesman Andrew Moreau said that Alltel believes that "the FCC's timetable for compliance may have underestimated customers' willingness to exchange phones." Sprint had other issues: In mid-2004 a "software glitch" disabled the location-tracking capabilities in 4.7 million Motorola iDEN handsets on Nextel's network. Pre-merger Sprint would have been the first carrier to hit the 95 percent mark. Sprint-Nextel is just .3 percentage points away from finally hitting the required penetration rate.

For more on the fines:
- read FCC Chairman Martin's reprimand of the offending carriers
- check out this article from CNET

Related Articles:
e911 deadline passes without fanfare, repercussions Article
FCC grants e911 waivers for Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Alltel Article
FCC to improve wireless e911 technology Article

Missouri case may change cell phone taxes in U.S.

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:59:54 -0400

After six years, Missouri state court may finally decide whether municipal telephone license taxes, which apply to landline phone services, apply to mobile phone services, too. As subscribers move away from fixed-line services in favor of wireless, the courts are considering whether cell phones can be taxed the same as regular landline phones, which pay special utility taxes. Many states already charge sale and excise taxes for mobile services to guarantee universal coverage and e911, and carriers are unsurprisingly balking at the notion of more taxes for their subscribers. A Sprint spokesman, John Taylor estimated that 17 percent of the carrier's bills are made up of taxes. Depending on the state, however, taxes for a cell phone service range from 4.1 percent to 21.1 percent of the total bill.

For more on the tax issue:
- read this report from the WSJ (sub. req.)

Jitterbug/Greatcall scores $36M in VC

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:59:54 -0400

GreatCall, the company behind the Jitterbug MVNO, which markets to an older age group, has just pulled in a $36 million round of venture funding. Charles River Ventures, Nauta Partners and Steelpoint Capital Partners contributed to the round.

GreatCall has two Jitterbug phones, both made by Samsung. The simpler one: OneTouch has just three buttons: Operator, Tow and 911. The Operator button puts users in touch with a live operator who dials a number for them--just like the old days.

For more on the VC round:
- read this article from peHub

Related Article:
Jitterbug the Anti-MVNO Opinion

Sprint still out in front with LBS applications

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Ã‚Â

Sprint still out in front with LBS applications
Sprint Navigation, Family Locator, GPShopper and now FriendFinder? Sprint Nextel is on a veritable location-based services bender. The carrier has consistently been first to market (out of the big four U.S. carriers)Ã‚Â with LBS applications and with good reason: The worldwide mobile LBS market will reachÃ‚Â $1.5 billion in 2007, according to a report from Insight Research.Ã‚Â

Because U.S. CDMA operators use GPS as their technology to support E911 initiatives, they have had a leg up on their GSM rivals. Sprint, more than any other carrier, has taken advantage of this, at least in terms of being a first-mover. This week Sprint launched a FriendFinder service powered by loopt. Sprint's wholly owned MVNO Boost Mobile has offered the same service for nearly a year now and Sprint decided the service was successful enough to port it over to its subscribers, too.

Similarly, last year the Disney Mobile MVNO announced plans (before it launched)Ã‚Â for a Family Locator service, and Sprint quickly rolled out a similar service itself before the MVNO running on its network went live. Services like Family Locator are a no-brainer as far as LBS applications go: Privacy issues are minimal because the people being located are kids who have phones within their parents' family plan. If you own the phone, few will argue with you over your right to locate it. Well, maybe the kids will.

Friend Finder services, however, bring up a number of issues, including privacy and inter-carrier LBS networks. As WaveMarkets' CEO Tasso Roumeliotis recently told me: "The core problem that the operators are rightfully concerned about[with Friend Finder applications]Ã‚Â is privacy. Are we really ready to have our 14-year-old girls tracked? Do we want to go there?" Roumeliotis said that he and WaveMarket have learned from experience: Friend finder services are a "poor investment for any startup."

Tell that to loopt, the two-year-old startup founded by 20-year-old Sam Altmand while he was still a student at Stanford University. Now 22, Altman has led the company through angel funding from Y Combinator, a deal with Boost Mobile, a series A VC funding from Sequoia Capital and New Enterprises Associates and now a big deal with Sprint Nextel. Altman claims loopt is leading the charge on the technical issues surrounding a cross-carrier Friend Finder service and with two more big deals on the horizon, we could see a truly useful friend tracking application in the U.S. After all, few friends flock to the same network for love of the brand, unless of course they're iPhone users.

So what's next for Sprint on the LBS front? They seem to have all the bases covered for location-based services: family, shopping, navigation and friends. As far as I can tell, only the clichÃƒÂ© (like Starbucks couponing) and the lame (like LBS-based mobile blogging) remain. -Brian

FCC to improve wireless 911 location tech

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:01:34 -0400

Even though current regulations require wireless carriers to be able to guarantee that their subscribers can be located when they contact emergency call centers, the service can be off by several miles and FCC chairman Kevin Martin announced he intends to improve the technology's accuracy. Martin told the AP, "This is something we always want to be improving on. We have to make sure public safety doesn't lose because we don't take advantage of the changes in technology." According to a report from the CTIA, 230,000 911 calls are made each day from mobile phones.

For more on Martin's plans to improve wireless 911:
- see this report from WirelessWeek

Lack of funds slows E-911

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 20:01:37 -0400

The mobile-phone industry for once isn't to blame for the lack of progress when it comes to providing Phase II wireless E-911 services. Several public-safety and emergency groups descended on Capitol Hill yesterday, lamenting the fact that there are no funds available for federal matching grants to cash-strapped state and local governments to deploy the software and equipment necessary to provide Phase II wireless E-911 services--despite the fact that the Enhance 911 Act authorized $250 million annually to pay for PSAP (public-safety answering points) upgrades during a five-year period.

While three-quarters of the U.S. population live in areas where wireless 911 service includes Phase II deliver of a user's call-back number and location, about 50 percent of counties lack the technology to be able to locate 911 calls. The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) says nearly half of the nation's 3,135 counties (primarily located in rural areas) still can't provide this critical service to their residents.

To read more about the lack of funding for E-911 services:
- see this article from TelecomWeb

Senators ask for $42M to fund PSAPs

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:01:35 -0400

Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) have issued two requests asking that $42 million in the 2007 federal budget be used to pay for improvements to public-safety answering points (PSAPs), which are critical elements for enabling E-911 services. The funding request is less than 20 percent of the $250 million authorized in the ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004. Although the act allowed $1.25 billion over five years for matching grants that public-safety entities could use to improve their 911 communications systems, no money has been appropriated to fund the program.

To read more about these senators' funding proposals for PSAPs:
- take a look at this article from Mobile Radio Technology Magazine

FCC grants E911 waivers to some carriers

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 19:01:37 -0500

The FCC has granted limited waivers to several small wireless carriers that extend the hardly enforced deadlines to meet enhanced 911 (E911) communications requirements. The E911 mandate supposedly took effect at the end of last year, but carriers that have experienced user reluctance to switch to handsets capable of handling E911 could petition for an extension to the deadline for having 95 percent of subscribers hooked up to E911 services. The FCC granted waivers to 13 carriers, mostly rural Tier III carriers, which push the deadline back until the end of June, October and, in some cases, December. The FCC recently granted extensions to Alltel, Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless and others.

For more on E911 and FCC waivers:
- check out this article from TelecomWeb

Millions of mobile users resist E911 switch

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 19:01:38 -0500

According to the FCC, no major US carrier has yet to meet the December 31, 2005 deadline for having 95 percent of its subscribers on E911-compliant handsets. The E911 technology allows first responders to use GPS to locate a mobile user who is making an emergency call. About 7 million subscribers have yet to trade up their phones for a more expensive digital one that enables E911 capabilities. Aside from a reluctance to fork over more money, some consumers are unwilling to learn how to use a more difficult handset. Others live in rural areas where the digital networks are still unreliable. Verizon Wireless, Qwest, Alltel and Sprint Nextel have asked the FCC for more time and the issue is currently on hold while the FCC mulls over a course of action.

For more on the troubles with E911 conversion:
- check out this article from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)

e911 deadline passed without fanfare, repercussions

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 19:01:35 -0500

The e911 deadline for VoIP operators has come and gone, and it seems neither the FCC nor VoIP providers will discuss compliance reports. Despite efforts by Congress for an extension, a federal appeals court ruled the FCC could not extend the November 28 deadline. The FCC also refused to discuss whether it would take action against companies who had not equipped their users with e911 service. The FCC did say that at this point it is focused on the compliance reports filed by the VoIP operators. VoIP providers Vonage and AT&T, who together claim 1.1 million users, both declined to comment on their compliance status. SunRocket claims 50,000 subscribers and said that 96 percent of its customers are equipped with e911 service.

For more on the lame duck e911 deadline:
- see this article from AP

ALSO NOTED: ACCESS completes purchase of PalmSource; Vodafone's low subscriber growth; and much more...

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 19:00:41 -0500

> ACCESS completes acquisition of PalmSource. Release

> Concerns over Vodafone's slow growth and the company's reported rising costs of revitalizing its Japanese unit cause its stock value to sharply decrease. Article

> Finland offers Europe's first mobile television license. Article

> Comtech Wireless will provide location-based search services for China Telecom. Release

> Linux Phone Standards (Lips) Forum launches to encourage Linux in smartphones, handhelds and other mobile devices. Article

> FCC opens VoIP e911 portal site to clarify recent rulings and provide the latest information about e911 regulations. Web site

> Motorola announced a tie-up with Bharti-Teletech to boost sales in India. Article

> Telstra plans to replace much of its CDMA network in Australia with a 3G network roll out and also plans to cut at least 10,000 jobs. Article

> The UK's NHS launches an SMS service to encourage smokers to quit. Article

And Finally... 28-year-old rolled oats combined with 20-year-old dried milk tastes pretty OK, according to research. Article