Washington,
D.C. -- At an event with public safety officials from Arlington County,
Virginia today, FCC Chairman Genachowski announced that the FCC will take steps
to revolutionize America’s 9-1-1 system by harnessing the life-saving potential
of text, photo, and video in emergencies.
“9-1-1 is an
indispensible, live-saving tool,” said FCC Chairman Genachowski. “But today’s
9-1-1 system doesn’t support the communication tools of tomorrow. Even though
mobile phones are the device of choice for most 9-1-1 callers, and we primarily
use our phones to text, right now, you can’t text 9-1-1. It’s time to bring 9-1-1 into the digital
age.”
Background:
•
The FCC’s
National Broadband Plan laid out a vision for Next-Generation 9-1-1 that uses
cutting-edge technologies to help save lives.
9-1-1, which was established as the national emergency number in 1968,
has been a wildly successful lifeline to those in distress. Americans place
more than 237 million 9-1-1 calls every year -- 650,000 per day.
•
Seventy percent
of 9-1-1 calls come from mobile phones. But increasingly, consumers are using
their mobile phones less to make calls, and more for texting and sending
pictures and videos. These new technologies have the potential to revolutionize
emergency response by providing public safety officials with critical
real-time, on-the-ground information.
•
Today’s 9-1-1
system is not equipped to take advantage of new technologies. 9-1-1 call
centers lack the technical capability to receive texts, photos, videos, and
other data. Many 9-1-1 call centers don’t have access to broadband, which makes
it difficult to receive incoming data, particularly in large volume. Finally,
call center operators have not been trained how to effectively communicate
using these new technologies.
•
The
technological limitations of 9-1-1 can have tragic, real-world consequences. During the 2007
Virginia Tech campus shooting, students and witnesses desperately tried to send
texts to 9-1-1 that local dispatchers never received. If these messages had
gone through, first responders may have arrived on the scene faster with
firsthand intelligence about the life-threatening situation that was unfolding.
•
Bringing 9-1-1
into the 21st century is one of the FCC’s key public safety
priorities.
Today, FCC Chairman Genachowski announced that in December he will launch a
proceeding, as recommended in the National Broadband Plan, to get public input
on how to transition the current system to broadband-enabled, next-generation
9-1-1. This action builds on the FCC’s recent order beefing up 9-1-1
location-accuracy requirements so that first responders can quickly find people
who reach out for help on their mobile phones.
Benefits of
Next-Generation 9-1-1
•
Text for Help: Many Americans, particularly
those with disabilities, rely on texting as their primary means of
communication. In some emergency situations -- especially in circumstances
where a call could further jeopardize someone’s life and safety -- texting is
the only way to reach out for help. Next-Generation 9-1-1 would allow call
centers to receive texts and put them to use.
•
Real-Time Rapid Response: Mobile video
and photos provide first responders with on-the-ground information that helps
them assess and address the emergency in real-time. These technologies also
help report crime as it is happening. Next-Generation 9-1-1 would expand the
multi-media capabilities of 9-1-1 call centers.
•
Automatic Alerting:
Next-Generation 9-1-1 would enable emergency calls to be placed by devices,
rather than human beings. Examples of
such devices include environmental sensors capable of detecting chemicals,
highway cameras, security cameras, alarms, personal medical devices,
telematics, and consumer electronics in automobiles.
