FCC Seeks Comments on 911 Call Routing

911 Call Center
Photo/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Via 911.gov

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) is currently seeking comments on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), issued December 22, 2022, to improve the routing of wireless 911 calls and texts to 911 call centers. The new NRPM aims to save valuable time and resources during emergencies.

Historically, wireless 911 calls have been routed to call centers based on the location of the cell tower, which could potentially be in a neighboring jurisdiction, not the call center that serves the caller’s location. These wireless calls must then be rerouted to the proper 911 call center, wasting time and resources during emergencies. Location-based routing enables wireless providers to use precise information about the location of the wireless caller’s device to route 911 calls and texts to the appropriate call center for that location. 

The Commission’s NPRM is based on the 2018 findings on the feasibility of routing 911 calls based on the location of the caller, as opposed to the location of the cell tower, as well as the 2022 Public Notice to update record in this proceeding based on advancements in location-based routing technology and implementation on wireless networks.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would require wireless providers and certain text providers to: 

  • Deploy technology that supports location-based routing on their Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks (i.e., 4G, LTE, 5G, and future generations of IP networks)
  • Use location-based routing to route all 911 voice calls and texts originating on their IP-based networks when caller location information meets certain requirements for accuracy and timeliness
  • Use best available location information (which could be longitude/latitude of the cell tower) to route these 911 voice calls and texts when caller location information does not meet the proposed requirements
  • Deliver 911 calls, texts, and associated routing information in IP format upon the request of 911 authorities who have the capability to accept it 

Comments are due by Thursday, February 16, 2023, and may be submitted via the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS): https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard. See the User Help tab at the top of the webpage or contact the ECFS Help Desk at 202-418-0193 or via email at ECFSHelp@fcc.gov for further assistance.

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