WASHINGTON-Rural wireless carriers are different; they use different technology, and they should not be held to the same accuracy standards for wireless enhanced 911 as their urban counterparts, said six senators recently in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission.
“The Sept. 1 deadline for Phase II E911 deployment for many wireless carriers is rapidly approaching, and the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach of the FCC’s current accuracy standards fails to recognize the unique nature of the provision of wireless services in rural areas. We are requesting forbearance of the accuracy standard in rural areas, as we believe that E911 deployment in rural communities is likely to be more symbolic than substantive,” reads the letter. “The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated. The September deadline triggering enforcement of E911 accuracy is approaching, yet the requirements may be exceedingly difficult to meet in many rural communities. Not only do wireless carriers face enforcement action by the FCC, but potentially, some carriers may face the loss of financing from their lenders for failure to comply with the commission’s rules. This is a situation the FCC must rectify.”
The letter was signed by Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), George Allen (R-Va.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). It was sent Aug. 1 but only recently made public.
Rural carriers-many of which chose TDMA technology for their digital networks-cannot meet the compliance requirements using their network-based solutions because they do not have an urban core to average noncompliance with compliance. Network-based solutions must be able to locate the caller within 100 meters 67 percent of the time and within 300 meters 95 percent of the time. Nationwide carriers take advantage of the averaging component of the law to counteract where their networks are not as built out. For rural carriers, this is more complicated because towers have been built along roads in a “string of pearls” fashion, making triangulation difficult if not impossible.
“The senators have recognized that the FCC’s current ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to compliance with the FCC’s current accuracy standards does not fit in rural America,” said Don Erickson, legislative director for the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies.
Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives would require the FCC to review the accuracy standards for rural carriers within six months. The Senate bill does not contain this provision.
