1919 - M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
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October 3, 1997
ENHANCED 911 RECONSIDERATION PROCEEDING REGARDING
RULES AND SCHEDULES
CC Docket No. 94-102
Comments Due: October 17, 1997
Reply Comments Due: October 27, 1997
Pursuant to Section 1.415(d) of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 1.415(d), additional comment is hereby sought in the wireless Enhanced 911 (E911) reconsideration proceeding(1) concerning issues raised in an ex parte presentation filed by several parties in the proceeding. In the E911 Report and Order, the Commission established rules requiring wireless carriers to implement basic 911 and E911 services.
In a September 25, 1997, ex parte letter (Joint Letter), two wireless industry groups (the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) and the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA)) and three public safety community groups (the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, Inc., the National Emergency Number Association, and the National Association of State Nine-One-One Administrators) propose modifications to terms used in the E911 Report and Order and rules for processing 911 calls and permitting Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to choose which 911 calls they will receive. The letter also supports an extension of the compliance date for implementation of 911 service over digital wireless services for TTY/TDD users from October 1, 1997, to April 1, 1999,(2) and requests that the Commission refrain from addressing certain additional issues until the industry has had the opportunity to fully consider such issues in meetings with the relevant parties. The Joint Letter is attached to this Public Notice.
We have also received other ex parte comments addressing issues raised in the Joint Letter. In a September 29, 1997, letter, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo provided the Commission with her initial assessment of the recommendations made in the Joint Letter and reiterated her view that "it is in the public's best interest that all wireless 911 calls should be passed through to the public safety authority." On September 30, 1997, the Ad Hoc Alliance for Public Access to 911 also filed an ex parte letter opposing the Joint Letter.(3)
The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau took note of the pending petitions for reconsideration and ex parte filings and on September 30, 1997, adopted an Order staying the provisions and effective date of Section 20.18(a)-(c) inclusive of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 20.18(a)-(c), which would require wireless carriers to forward certain 911 calls to PSAPs, including calls from TTY devices. The stay defers the effective date of those rules from October 1, 1997, to November 30, 1997, in order to permit the Commission to complete its review.
Pursuant to applicable procedures set forth in Sections 1.145(d) and 1.419 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.415(d), 1.419, interested parties may file comments on the issues raised in the Joint Letter no later than October 17, 1997. Reply comments may be filed no later than October 27, 1997. All relevant and timely comments will be considered by the Commission before final action is taken in this proceeding. To file formally in this proceeding, participants must file an original and five copies of all comments. If participants want each Commissioner to receive a personal copy of their comments, an original and nine copies must be filed.
All comments should be filed with the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Room 222, Washington, D.C. 20554, referencing CC Docket No. 94-102. The full texts of the ex parte presentations are available for inspection and duplication during regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Room 239, Washington, D.C. 20554. Copies may also be obtained from International Transcription Service, Inc. (ITS), 2100 M Street, N.W., Suite 140, Washington, D.C. 20037, (202) 857-3800.
For further information, contact Won Kim at (202) 418-1310, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Policy Division.
1. 1 See Revision of the Commission's Rules to Ensure Compatibility with Enhanced 911 Emergency Calling Systems, CC Docket No. 94-102, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 59 Fed. Reg. 54878 (1994); Revision of the Commission's Rules to Ensure Compatibility with Enhanced 911 Emergency Calling Systems, CC Docket No. 94-102, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 61 Fed. Reg. 40348, 40374 (1996) (E911 Report and Order), recon. pending.
2. See also PCIA, Request for Extension of Time to Implement E911/TTY Compatibility Requirement for Wireless Operators (Aug. 27, 1997); CTIA Ex Parte Filing (Sept. 23, 1997).
3. 3 Following the Joint Letter, CTIA filed another ex parte letter dated September 26, 1997, concerning carrier liability with respect to E911 calls. We have also received certain ex parte filings prior to the Joint Letter which relate to the issues raised in that letter. For example, with respect to the proposed 18-month extension of the TTY compliance date, the National Association of the Deaf and the Consumer Action Network oppose it as too long and propose additional obligations. Opposition to Request for Extension of Eighteen Months to Implement E911/TTY Compatibility Requirement for Wireless Operators (Sept. 11, 1997). Nextel Communications, on the other hand, supports the requested extension. Motion in Support of Request for Extension of time to Implement E911/TTY Compatibility Requirement for Wireless Operators (Sept. 9, 1997).