Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999
PL 106-81 (S.800), enacted 10/26/1999

113 STAT. 1286 
PUBLIC LAW 106-81—OCT. 26, 1999 
Public Law 106-81 
106th Congress 
An Act 
Oct. 26, 1999 
[S. 800] 
Wireless 
Communications 
and Public Safety 
Act of 1999. 
47 u s e 609 note. 
To promote and enhance public safety through use of 9-1-1 as the universal 
emergency assistance number, further deployment of wireless 9-1-1 service, sup-
port of States in upgrading 9-1-1 capabilities and related functions, encourage-
ment of construction and operation of seamless, ubiquitous, and reliable networks 
for personal wireless services, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the "Wireless Communications and 
PubUc Safety Act of 1999". 
47 u s e 615 note. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE, 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that— 
(1) the estabUshment £ind maintenance of an end-to-end 
communications infrastructure among members of the pubHc, 
emergency SEifety, fire service and law enforcement officials, 
emergency dispatch providers, trginsportation officials, and hos-
pital emergency and trauma care facilities will reduce response 
times for the delivery of emergency care, assist in delivering 
appropriate care, £ind thereby prevent fatalities, substantially 
reduce the severity and extent of injuries, reduce time lost 
fi"om work, £ind save thousEinds of lives and billions of dollars 
in health care costs; 
(2) the rapid, efficient deplojnnent of emergency tele-
communications service requires statewide coordination of the 
efforts of local public safety, fire service and law enforcement 
officials, emergency dispatch providers, £ind trsmsportation offi-
cials; the establishment of sources of adequate funding for 
carrier and public ssifety, fire service and law enforcement 
agency technology development and deployment; the coordina-
tion and integration of emergency commiuiications with traffic 
control and management systems and the designation of 9-
1-1 as the niunber to call in emergencies throughout the 
Nation; 
(3) emerging technologies can be a critical component of 
the end-to-end communications infrastructure connecting the 
public with emergency medical service providers and emer-
gency dispatch providers, public safety, fire service and law 
enforcement officials, and hospital emergency and trauma care 
facilities, to reduce emergency response times and provide 
appropriate care; 
PUBLIC LAW 106-81—OCT. 26, 1999 
113 STAT. 1287 
(4) improved public safety remains an important public 
health objective of Federal, State, and local governments and 
substantially facilitates interstate and foreign commerce; 
(5) emergency care systems, particularly in rural areas 
of the Nation, will improve with the enabling of prompt notifica-
tion of emergency services when motor vehicle crashes occur; 
and 
(6) the construction and operation of seamless, ubiquitous, 
and reliable wireless telecommunications systems promote 
public safety £ind provide immediate and critical communica-
tions links among members of the public; emergency medical 
service providers and emergency dispatch providers; public 
safety, fire service and law enforcement officials; transportation 
officials, and hospital emergency and traiuna care facilities. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to encourage and 
facilitate the prompt deployment throughout the United States 
of a seamless, ubiquitous, and reliable end-to-end infrastructure 
for communications, including wireless communications, to meet 
the Nation's public safety and other communications needs. 
SEC. 3. UNIVERSAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER. 
(a) 
ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIVERSAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE 
NUMBER.—Section 251(e) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 251(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
"(3) 
UNIVERSAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER.—The 
Commission and £iny agency or entity to which the Commission 
has delegated authority under this subsection shall designate 
9-1-1 as the universal emergency telephone number within 
the United States for reporting an emergency to appropriate 
authorities and requesting assistance. The designation shsdl 
apply to both wireline and wireless telephone service. In making 
the designation, the Commission (and any such agency or 
entity) shall provide appropriate transition periods for areas 
in which 9-1-1 is not in use as an emergency telephone number 
on the date of enactment of the Wireless Communications and 
PubHc Safety Act of 1999.". 
(b) SUPPORT.—The Federal Communications Commission shsJl 47USC615. 
encourage and support efforts by States to deploy comprehensive 
end-to-end emergency communications infrastructure and programs, 
based on coordinated statewide plans, including seamless, ubiq-
uitous, reliable wireless telecommunications networks and enhanced 
wireless 9-1-1 service. In encouraging and supporting that deploy-
ment, the Commission shall consult and cooperate with State Eind 
IOCEJ officisds responsible for emergency services and public safety, 
the telecommunications industry (specifically including the cellular 
and other wireless telecommunications service providers), the motor 
vehicle manufacturing industry, emergency medical service pro-
viders and emergency dispatch providers, transportation officials, 
special 9-1-1 districts, public safety, fire service and law enforce-
ment officials, consumer groups, and hospitgJ emergency and 
trauma care personnel (including emergency physiciems, trauma 
surgeons, and nurses). The Commission shall encourage each State 
to develop and implement coordinated statewide deployment plans, 
through an entity designated by the governor, and to include rep-
resentatives of the foregoing organizations and entities in develop-
ment and implementation of such plans. Nothing in this subsection 
113 STAT. 1288 
PUBLIC LAW 106-81—OCT. 26, 1999 
shall be construed to authorize or require the Commission to impose 
obligations or costs on any person. 
47 use 615a. 
SEC. 4. PARITY OF PROTECTION FOR PROVISION OR USE OF WIRE-
LESS SERVICE. 
(a) PROVIDER PARITY.—^A wireless carrier, and its officers, direc-
tors, employees, vendors, and agents, shall have immunity or other 
protection from liability in a State of a scope and extent that 
IS not less than the scope and extent of immunity or other protection 
from liability that any local exchange company, and its officers, 
directors, employees, vendors, or agents, have under Federal £ind 
State law (whether through statute, judicial decision, tariffs filed 
by such local exchange company, or otherwise) applicable in such 
State, including in connection with an act or omission involving 
the release to a PSAP, emergency medical service provider or emer-
gency dispatch provider, public safety, fire service or law enforce-
ment official, or hospital emergency or trauma care facility of 
subscriber information related to emergency calls or emergency 
services. 
(b) USER PARITY.—^A person using wireless 9-1-1 service shall 
have immimity or other protection from liability of a scope and 
extent that is not less than the scope and extent of immunity 
or other protection from liability under applicable law in similar 
circumstances of a person using 9-1-1 service that is not wireless. 
(c) PSAP PARITY.—In matters related to wireless 9-1-1 commu-
nications, a PSAP, and its employees, vendors, agents, and author-
izing government entity (if any) shall have immiuiity or other 
protection from liability of a scope and extent that is not less 
than the scope £uid extent of immunity or other protection from 
liability under applicable law accorded to such PSAP, employees, 
vendors, agents, and authorizing government entity, respectively, 
in matters related to 9-1-1 communications that Eu-e not wireless. 
(d) BASIS FOR ENACTMENT.—This section is enacted as an exer-
cise of the enforcement power of the Congress under section 5 
of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the power 
of the Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among 
the several States, and with Indian tribes. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER INFORMATION. 
Section 222 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
222) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by striking "or" at the end of paragraph (2); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph 
(3) and inserting a semicolon and "and"; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
"(4) to provide call location information concerning the 
user of a commercial mobile service (as such term is defined 
in section 332(d))— 
"(A) to a public safety answering point, emergency 
medical service provider or emergency dispatch provider, 
public safety, fire service, or law enforcement official, or 
hospital emergency or traimia care facility, in order to 
respond to the user's call for emergency services; 
"(B) to inform the user's legal guardian or members 
of the user's immediate family of the user's location in 
an emergency situation that involves the risk of death 
or serious physical harm; or 
PUBLIC LAW 106-81—OCT. 26, 1999 
113 STAT. 1289 
"(C) to providers of information or database manage-
ment services solely for purposes of assisting in the delivery 
of emergency services in response to an emergency.". 
(2) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (h) and 
by inserting the following after subsection (e): 
"(f) AUTHORITY TO USE WIRELESS LOCATION INFORMATION.— 
For purposes of subsection (c)(1), without the express prior 
authorization of the customer, a customer shall not be considered 
to have approved the use or disclosure of or access to— 
"(1) call location information concerning the user of a 
commercial mobile service (as such term is defined in section 
332(d)), other than in accordance with subsection (d)(4); or 
"(2) automatic crash notification information to any person 
other than for use in the operation of an automatic crash 
notification system. 
"(g) SUBSCRIBER LISTED AND UNLISTED INFORMATION FOR EMER-
GENCY SERVICES.—Notwithstanding subsections (b), (c), and (d), 
a telecommunications carrier that provides telephone exchange 
service shall provide information described in subsection (i)(3)(A) 
(including information pertaining to subscribers whose information 
is unlisted or unpublished) that is in its possession or control 
(including information pertaining to subscribers of other carriers) 
on a timely £ind unbundled basis, under nondiscriminatory and 
reasonable rates, terms, and conditions to providers of emergency 
services, and providers of emergency support services, solely for 
purposes of delivering or assisting in the delivery of emergency 
services."; 
(3) by inserting "location," after "destination," in subsection 
(h)(1)(A) (as redesignated by paragraph (2)); and 
(4) by adding at the end of subsection (h) (as redesignated), 
the following: 
"(4) PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT.—The term 'public 
safety answering point' means a facility that has been des-
ignated to receive emergency calls and route them to emergency 
service personnel. 
"(5) EMERGENCY SERVICES.—The term 'emergency services' 
means 9-1-1 emergency services and emergency notification 
services. 
"(6) EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SERVICES.—The term 'emer-
gency notification services' means services that notify the public 
of an emergency. 
"(7) EMERGENCY SUPPORT SERVICES.—The term 'emergency 
support services' means information or data base management 
services used in support of emergency services.". 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
47 USC 615b. 
As used in this Act: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term "Secretary" means the Secretary 
of Transportation. 
(2) STATE.—The term "State" means any of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession 
of the United States. 
(3) PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT; PSAP.—The term 
"public safety answering point" or "PSAP" means a facility 
that has been designated to receive 9-1-1 calls and route 
them to emergency service personnel. 
113 STAT. 1290 
PUBLIC LAW 106-81—OCT. 26, 1999 
(4) WIRELESS CARRIER.—^The term "wireless c£irrier" means 
a provider of commercial mobile services or any other radio 
communications service that the Federal Communications 
Commission requires to provide wireless 9-1-1 service. 
(5) 
ENHANCED 
WIRELESS 
9-1-1 
SERVICE.—The 
term 
"enhanced wireless 9-1-1 service" meeins any enhanced 9-
1-1 service so designated by the Federal Communications 
Commission in the proceeding entitled "Revision of the Commis-
sion's Rules to Ensure Compatibility with Enhanced 9-1-1 
Emergency Calling Systems" (CC Docket No. 94-102; RM-
8143), or any successor proceeding. 
(6) WIRELESS 9-1-1 SERVICE.—The term "wireless 9-1-1 
service" means any 9-1-1 service provided by a wireless carrier, 
including enhainced wireless 9-1-1 service. 
(7) EMERGENCY DISPATCH PROVIDERS.—The term "emer-
gency dispatch providers" shsQl include govemment£j and non-
governmental providers of emergency dispatch services. 
Approved October 26, 1999. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 800 (H.R. 438): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 106-25 accompanying H.R. 438 (Comm. on Commerce). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 106-138 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 145 (1999): 
Aug. 5, considered and passed Senate. 
Oct. 12, considered and passed House. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 35 (1999): 
Oct. 26, Presidential statement.