FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
SEPTEMBER 15, 1999                 Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0654
          
              FCC ACTS TO PROMOTE COMPETITION AND 
        PUBLIC SAFETY IN ENHANCED WIRELESS 911 SERVICES 

Washington, D.C. ---The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has revised its
rules aimed at providing consumers with enhanced 911 emergency services when using wireless
phones.  The new requirements promote public safety, competition among wireless 911
equipment manufacturers and the continued improvement in the quality of 911 services.

Specifically, the new rules will enable handset-based methods of providing location
information for 911 calls to compete in a reasonable way with network-based solutions in meeting
the FCC's Enhanced 911 (E911) Phase II requirements. The FCC also modified implementation
requirements for carriers and revised the accuracy/reliability rules applicable to all Automatic
Location Identification (ALI) technologies.  These new rules will benefit both callers and public
safety entities by providing accurate and efficient automatic location information in emergencies.

Background on E911:

  The FCC's wireless 911 rules seek both to improve the reliability of wireless 911 services and to
provide the enhanced features generally available for wireline calls.  To further these goals, the agency
has required wireless carriers to implement E911 service, subject to certain conditions and schedules,
including a request from a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).  Phase I of the FCC's E911 rules
requires that a dialable number accompany each 911 call, which allows the PSAP dispatcher to call
back if the call is disconnected or to obtain additional information.  It also gives the dispatcher the
location at the cell site that received the call as a rough indication of the caller's location.  Phase II of
the FCC's wireless 911 rules allows the dispatcher to know more precisely where the caller is located,
a capability called Automatic Location Identification or ALI. 

  The current FCC E911 rules were adopted in 1996, and reflected then current expectations
about technological development. At that time, it was anticipated that only network-based
approaches would be employed to provide ALI.  Since then advances in technologies that employ
new or upgraded handsets have demonstrated significant progress.  However, as a practical
matter, current FCC rules only permit network-based solutions to meet the Phase II requirements
in the short term because they require that ALI be provided for all 911 calls in a PSAP's area as of
a fixed date (October 1, 2001).  As a result, the current rule effectively precludes use of a
handset-based approach, which requires the gradual replacement or upgrade of current handsets. 
Today the FCC revised its rules to permit the phase-in of new or upgraded handsets in order for
handset-based solutions to be a viable competitor for initial ALI deployment under Phase II, while
making other revisions aimed at promoting wireless E911 and improving public safety.

Specifics of Today's Action:

The FCC adopted the following revisions to its wireless E911 rules:  

          h    Wireless carriers who employ a Phase II location technology that requires new, modified
     or upgraded handsets (such as GPS-based technologies) may phase-in deployment of
     Phase II subject to the following requirements: 

               - Without respect to any PSAP request for Phase II deployment, the carrier shall:
          
                    1.   Begin selling and activating ALI-capable handsets no later than March 1, 2001;
                    2.   Ensure that at least 50 percent of all new handsets activated are ALI-capable no
          later than October 1, 2001; and
                    3.   Ensure that at least 95 percent of all new digital handsets activated are ALI-
          capable no later than October 1, 2002. 

               - Once a PSAP request is received, the carrier shall, in the area served by the PSAP:

                    Within six months or by October 1, 2001, whichever is later:

                         1.   Ensure that 100 percent of all new handsets activated are ALI-capable; 
                    2.   Implement any network upgrades or other steps necessary to locate handsets; and
                         3.   Begin delivering to the PSAP location information
          that satisfies Phase II requirements.

               Within two years or by December 31, 2004, whichever is later, undertake reasonable
     efforts to achieve 100 percent penetration of ALI-capable handsets in its total subscriber
     base.

          h    For roamers and other callers without ALI-capable handsets, carriers shall support Phase I
     ALI and other available best practice methods of providing the location of the handset to
     the PSAP.  

          h    To be allowable under the FCC rules, an ALI technology that requires new, modified, or
     upgraded handsets shall conform to general standards and be interoperable, allowing
     roaming among different carriers employing handset-based location technologies.

     h    For carriers employing network-based location technologies, the FCC replaces its current
     plan, which requires that implementation be fully accomplished within 6 months of a PSAP
     request, with a revised rule requiring the carrier to deploy Phase II to 50 percent of callers
     within 6 months of a PSAP request and to 100 percent of callers within 18 months of such
     a request.

     h    The FCC adopts the following revised standards for Phase II location accuracy and
     reliability: 
               ú    For network-based solutions: 100 meters for 67 percent of calls, 300 meters for 95
          percent of calls;

               ú    For handset-based solutions: 50 meters for 67 percent of calls, 150 meters for 95
          percent of calls.
          
     h    The FCC directs wireless carriers to report their plans for implementing E911 Phase II,
     including the technology they plan to use to provide caller location, by October 1, 2000.
     This report shall provide information to permit planning for Phase II implementation by
     public safety organizations, equipment manufacturers, local exchange carriers, and the
     FCC, in order to support Phase II deployment by October 1, 2001.

     h    The FCC directs that the Office of Engineering and Technology and the Wireless
     Telecommunications Bureau, working with interested parties, proceed expeditiously to
     address issues of verifying compliance with the Phase II accuracy and reliability standards. 

       Action by the Commission September 15, 1999, by Third Report and Order 
(FCC 99-245). Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, Furchtgott-Roth, Powell and Tristani
with Commissioner Tristani issuing a separate statement. 

News Media Contact: Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0654; TTY at (202) 418-7233; or e-mail
at mmccarri@fcc.gov

Wireless Bureau contacts: Dan Grosh at (202) 418-1310, e-mail dgrosh@fcc.gov 
Mindy Littell (202) 418-1310, e-mail mlittell@fcc.gov or TTY at (202) 418-7233.

WT Report No. 99-27

CC Docket No. 94-102

                               - FCC