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June 26, 2003 John: Before we get started, I want to tell you that today was a really good one for Kentucky's 911 programs. Kentucky was selected as one of 9 states to be interviewed about the status of 911; what has been accomplished over the last few years of wireless 911 efforts; and where Congress, the FCC, and other leaders should focus future efforts. Members of Congress directed the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct this review. GAO representatives flew into Kentucky yesterday and interviewed the 911 Coordinators of Lexington and Anderson County 911 programs. They also interviewed one of the regional, wireless carriers in regard to progress on 911 wireless deployment. Today they stopped in my office for a wrap up and discussion about the status statewide and a "big picture" view. This was a good opportunity to ensure that the evolving national priorities do not overlook the needs of our state. Techlines: John, I think many times people tend to think that when someone calls 911 they are going to reach a local 911 dispatch center near them. That's not always the case is it? How many Kentucky counties have effective Basic 911 today? John: As of late last year, every Kentucky county now has Basic 911 which means that when a citizen dials "911" they will reach a public safety communications center. However, Basic 911 simply means that instead of dialing 7 digits to access the local dispatch center you only have to dial the three numbers "911" used across the nation. The dispatch center will not know where you are or have a call back number should the call be disconnected. Techlines: Before we discuss E-911, can you tell us what's happening in the state with the growth of cell phone usage, what percentage of calls to 911 are from a cell phone and how has that complicated effective response to emergency 911 calls. John: Cell phone usage has risen from around 500,000 cell phone users in 1998 to over 1.5 million today, which is 36% of the total population. That seems like a lot, but in some Kentucky counties over 60% of the population have cell phones which tells you where wireless use is headed. Still those numbers also tell us that the overall distribution varies significantly from county to county and some counties are still very low in terms of cell phone usage. That is largely because of terrain issues where cellular carriers have had significant challenges to build the necessary network. Another measure of our capacity for this technology is what has happened in Europe which has so far been a good indicator of what will happen here with wireless. Some European countries report that 80% of their population have cell phones. 911 centers are reporting that between 40 to 60% of their calls now come from wireless phones. Cell phones have created a number of complications for 911 centers. First is that the call volumes have risen so dramatically that some centers are now having problems with the ability of their staff to keep up. Second, many folks are calling to report non-emergencies or emergencies that are already known. This tells us we must do a better job of educating citizens about when to call 911. Third, quite a number of calls are unintentional because folks have programmed their phone to dial 911 after the press of only one key. This feature should be deactivated. And finally, cell phones are not yet delivering the location information for most call centers, although a few counties have this feature. This means that call takers must work harder to get the right location so the proper responders can be sent. However, even after Kentucky completes our effort to locate wireless callers, we will still have problems since callers are mobile and their location is constantly changing. Techlines: What is E-911 and what are the phases of Kentucky's deployment efforts? John:
Enhanced 911 means that when you dial "911" the call will
be routed to the correct 911 center and that the 911 telecommunicators
will have your location and call back number displayed on their screen.
Note that even with the data, they are trained to verify the information.
The important thing for Kentucky is this is precisely where we are weak.
Twenty-six counties in Kentucky (22%) or nearly 400,000 citizens still
do not have Enhanced 911.
John: This bill has created much excitement and if passed will be of significant benefit to the Commonwealth's 911 efforts. If passed the bill will create a pool of $500 million to fund improvements to the nation's 911 systems. One of the key goals is to make Enhanced 911 (both wireline and wireless) ubiquitous across the nation. Another is to improve the interoperability of the various systems deployed in states, so that calls and data can be transferred seamlessly between call centers during emergencies. This should improve our ability to work together on large incidents that span across jurisdictions and to quickly respond to local incidents for which the call was initially misrouted. And finally, the upgrades to 911 systems should position public safety such that new communications technologies embraced by consumers do not undermine our ability to respond to requests for assistance. Techlines: Do you have a sense of when the Commonwealth will be able to effectively respond to 911 calls to determine phone number and exact location statewide, either from someone's home or cell phone? John: By the end of 2005, all 911 call centers in Kentucky should be able to handle both wireless and wireline 911 calls and receive the location and call back data. However, we should not be complacent and think that the job is done. 911 is part of our national communications infrastructure. As it evolves, 911 must also evolve, and at nearly the same pace. Once new technology begins to move into the mainstream of public acceptance, 911 must have already devised strategies, hardware, software, and procedures to cope, delivering to the public the same level of service which they expect. Learn
more:
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