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