FCC Tightens E911 Rules
Sep 12, 2007, 2:23 PM by (staff)
The FCC today announced a stricter interpretation of E911 standards that will improve location accuracy for all subscribers. Carriers will need to meet accuracy standards for 95% of subscribers on a local level at each Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). Previously, compliance was judged on a state average, allowing carriers to beef up E911 compliance in high population areas to make up for poor compliance in smaller towns or rural districts. The FCC has set yearly benchmarks for the carriers to meet along the way to full compliance by September 11, 2011. Carriers are worried about the cost of compliance with the ruling and its tight timeline, some FCC members expressed concern over the timeline as well, because they believe new location tracking technology may become a factor in the near future.