*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 30254*
 1-  888-  CALL-  FCC  (1-  888-  225-  5322)  .  TTY:  1-  888-  TELL-  FCC  (1-  888-  835-  5322)  Fax:  1-  866-  418-  0232  .  www.  gov/  fcc.  cgb  . 
 Federal  Communications  Commission  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  445  12th  St.,  SW  Washington,  DC  20554  .  .  .  .  . 


 What  You  Need  To  Know  About  Calling  911  From  Your  Wireless  Phone 
 The  FCC  thinks  it  is  important  for  consumers  to  know  more  about  calling  911  from  a  wireless  phone.  In  some  areas,  911  operators  automatically  receive  the  phone  number 
 or  location  of  a  wireless  call,  but  in  many  areas,  that  is  not  yet  the  case.  Technology  that  will  provide  that  information  Enhanced  911  or  E911    is  currently  being 
 implemented,  but  is  not  yet  available  in  many  wireless  phones  or  most  parts  of  the  country.  Though  a  great  deal  of  progress  has  been  made  over  the  past  year,  some 
 wireless  carriers  and  some  state  and  local  governments  have  invested  more  than  others  in  bringing  this  life-  saving  technology  to  consumers. 


 Find  out  whether  E911  has  been  deployed  where  you  live  and  work  so  you  will  know  how  much  information  you  need  to  be  prepared  to  give  a  911  operator.  If  E911  is  not 
 yet  available  in  your  area,  make  sure  to  tell  the  emergency  dispatchers  your  phone  number  and  where  you  are.  Inform  yourself  about  the  current  capabilities  of  your 
 wireless  service. 
 Ask  your  wireless  carrier   
 Have  you  received  a  request  from  local  public  safety  officials  to  deploy  E911  in  my  area? 


 What  is  the  status  of  your  E911  deployment  in  my  area? 
 Does  my  phone  work  for  E911?  What  other  models  work  for  E911? 
 Ask  your  state  legislators  and  public  safety  officials   
 Is  my  local  911  call  center  ready  for  E911? 
 If  not,  what  is  the  plan  for  making  the  necessary  upgrades? 
 Is  the  E911  surcharge  on  my  bill  being  used  for  E911? 
1
 -2- 
 1-  888-  CALL-  FCC  (1-  888-  225-  5322)  .  TTY:  1-  888-  TELL-  FCC  (1-  888-  835-  5322)  Fax:  1-  866-  418-  0232  .  www.  gov/  fcc.  cgb  . 
 Federal  Communications  Commission  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  445  12th  St.,  SW  Washington,  DC  20554  .  .  .  .  . 


 Implementing  E911  Technologies 
 The  deployment  of  E911  is  complicated  and  requires  expensive  upgrades  to  local  911  call  centers  (  Public  Safety  Answering  Points  or  PSAPs)  and  coordination  among 


 wireless  carriers,  equipment  vendors  and  manufacturers,  and  state  and  local  public  safety  agencies.  The  FCCs  E911  rules  require  the  wireless  carriers  to  implement  in 
 two  phases.  Phase  I  enables  emergency  personnel  to  know  the  wireless  phone  number  of  the  caller  and  which  communications  tower  is  transmitting  the  call,  which 
 greatly  narrows  the  potential  area  of  search.  Phase  II  provides  more  specific  location  information  on  the  whereabouts  of  the  caller. 


 Carriers  may  satisfy  the  Commissions  requirements  by  choosing  either  a  handset  solution  or  a  network  solution,  and  you  should  know  which  solution  your  carrier  has 
 chosen. 
 A  handset  solution  involves  enhanced  GPS  capability  in  the  phone  itself.  Under  FCC  rules,  carriers  using  handset-  based  solutions  need  to  pinpoint  wireless  911  callers  to 
 50  meters  for  67%  of  their  calls  and  to  150  meters  for  95%  of  their  calls.  Of  the  major  wireless  carriers,  Verizon  Wireless,  Sprint  PCS,  Nextel,  and  ALLTEL  have  chosen  a 
 handset  solution.  If  you  subscribe  to  one  of  these  carriers,  find  out  whether  your  phone  has  E911  location  capabilities. 


 A  network  solution  involves  base  stations  --  towers  and  antennae  --  in  the  carriers  network  to  measure  the  timing  of  signals  emitted  from  the  phone,  and  the  location 
 capability  is  located  primarily  in  the  network,  not  in  the  phone.  Under  FCC  rules,  carriers  using  network-  based  solutions  need  to  pinpoint  wireless  911  callers  to  100 
 meters  for  67%  of  their  calls  and  to  300  meters  for  95%  of  their  calls.  Of  the  major  wireless  carriers,  AT&  T  Wireless,  Cingular,  and  T-  Mobile  have  chosen  a  network 
 solution.  If  you  subscribe  to  one  of  these  carriers,  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  particular  model  of  phone  for  E911  to  work. 


 In  either  case,  your  wireless  carrier  and  your  phone  are  only  half  the  equation.  Your  state  and  local  government  also  must  devote  the  resources  to  upgrade 
 your  states  911  call  centers.  Consumers  need  to  be  fully  informed  about  both  halves  of  the  E911  equation. 


 For  additional  information  on  Wireless  Enhanced  911  (E911),  contact  the  FCCs  Consumer  Call  Center  toll  free  at:  1-  888-  CALL-  FCC  (1-  888-  225-  5322)  voice, 
 1-  888-  TELL-  FCC  (1-  888-  835-  5322)  TTY  or  visit  our  Web  site  at  www.  fcc.  gov/  911enhanced. 
 For  this  or  any  other  consumer  publication  in  an  accessible  format  (electronic  ASCII  text,  Braille,  large  print,  or  audio)  please  write  or 
 call  us  at  the  address  or  phone  number  below,  or  send  an  e-  mail  to  FCC504@  fcc.  gov. 
 To  receive  information  on  this  and  other  FCC  consumer  topics  through  the  Commissions  electronic  subscriber  service,  click  on 
 www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  emailservice.  html. 
 This  document  is  for  consumer  education  purposes  only  and  is  not  intended  to  affect  any  proceeding  or  cases  involving  this  subject  matter  or  related  issues. 
 030814 
2