WASHINGTON-The House last week overwhelmingly passed wireless E911 and privacy bills,
leaving it now to the Senate to move on the two measures that will curb eavesdropping on the 68 million mobile phone
users and help save lives of emergency callers.
“Thousands of lives could be saved each year by making 911
work like it should which is what this bill will help accomplish,” said Sue Hoyt, chairwoman of the ComCare
Alliance and past president of the Emergency Nurses Association.
ComCare, created and funded in part by the
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, is comprised of health professionals from around the
country.
House telecommunications subcommittee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) pushed for early passage of the
two bills, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year when the measures died because of spotty opposition and lack of
sponsorship.
The E911 bill, sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), would make 911 the universal emergency
telephone number, provide limited liability protection to wireless carriers and protect consumer privacy rights by
permitting disclosure of callers’ location only in emergencies.
Stripped out of the E911 bill, in deference to state and
local officials, was a provision to foster federal land antenna siting. It was designed to raise millions of dollars from
tower lease fees to help underwrite upgrades to 911 emergency call centers, automatic crash notification technology
development and cancer research.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expected to
reintroduce a companion E911 bill shortly.
The privacy bill, penned by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), strengthens
existing law by closing loopholes that allow radio scanners to be modified for eavesdropping on a whole range of
analog and digital radio communications.
