Today, the Federal Communications Commission established regulations that fail the citizens of the United States.  When someone suffering from a heart attack or other emergency calls 9-1-1, first responders need accurate, actionable location information to reach the victim in time to save a life. Unfortunately, under the Commission’s new rules, when someone uses a cellphone to call 9-1-1 from inside a multi-story building, first responders will not receive useful location information.

The Commission’s new rules require the nation’s largest wireless carriers to provide nothing more than a raw altitude estimate, which absolves the carriers of their obligation to protect people who call 9-1-1 for help. In the leadup to the Commission’s action, APCO and 9-1-1 directors from across the country urged the Commission to take a different approach by including reasonable requirements of the wireless carriers to provide at least the floor number of the caller.  APCO raised significant concerns that the Commission’s plan will not provide first responders with information they can readily use and, worse, will not result in real-world improvements.

“The Commission delivered a major win for wireless carriers and the one or two companies that can be used to fulfill these new regulatory requirements,” APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek K. Poarch said. “The carriers are already indicating that they will underperform on these weak requirements and abandon efforts that had been underway to make more significant improvements. The Commission had the responsibility to do the right thing for our citizens’ safety.  Instead, the Commission is giving the carriers a pass, failing the American public, and leaving many issues unresolved that will ultimately cause its plan to fail. Lives will be lost as a result.”