Goto Section: 20.15 | 20.19 | Table of Contents
FCC 20.18
Revised as of October 1, 2014
Goto Year:2013 |
2015
§ 20.18 911 Service.
Link to an amendment published at 79 FR 55381 , Sept. 16, 2014.
(a) Scope of section. The following requirements are only applicable to
CMRS providers, excluding mobile satellite service (MSS) operators, to
the extent that they:
(1) Offer real-time, two way switched voice service that is
interconnected with the public switched network; and
(2) Utilize an in-network switching facility that enables the provider
to reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless hand-offs of subscriber
calls. These requirements are applicable to entities that offer voice
service to consumers by purchasing airtime or capacity at wholesale
rates from CMRS licensees.
(b) Basic 911 Service. CMRS providers subject to this section must
transmit all wireless 911 calls without respect to their call
validation process to a Public Safety Answering Point, or, where no
Public Safety Answering Point has been designated, to a designated
statewide default answering point or appropriate local emergency
authority pursuant to § 64.3001 of this chapter, provided that "all
wireless 911 calls" is defined as "any call initiated by a wireless
user dialing 911 on a phone using a compliant radio frequency protocol
of the serving carrier."
(c) TTY Access to 911 Services. CMRS providers subject to this section
must be capable of transmitting 911 calls from individuals with speech
or hearing disabilities through means other than mobile radio handsets,
e.g., through the use of Text Telephone Devices (TTY).
(d) Phase I enhanced 911 services. (1) As of April 1, 1998, or within
six months of a request by the designated Public Safety Answering Point
as set forth in paragraph (j) of this section, whichever is later,
licensees subject to this section must provide the telephone number of
the originator of a 911 call and the location of the cell site or base
station receiving a 911 call from any mobile handset accessing their
systems to the designated Public Safety Answering Point through the use
of ANI and Pseudo-ANI.
(2) When the directory number of the handset used to originate a 911
call is not available to the serving carrier, such carrier's
obligations under the paragraph (d)(1) of this section extend only to
delivering 911 calls and available call party information, including
that prescribed in paragraph (l) of this section, to the designated
Public Safety Answering Point.
Note to paragraph (d): With respect to 911 calls accessing their
systems through the use of TTYs, licensees subject to this section must
comply with the requirements in paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2) of this
section, as to calls made using a digital wireless system, as of
October 1, 1998.
(e) Phase II enhanced 911 service. Licensees subject to this section
must provide to the designated Public Safety Answering Point Phase II
enhanced 911 service, i.e., the location of all 911 calls by longitude
and latitude in conformance with Phase II accuracy requirements (see
paragraph (h) of this section).
(f) Phase-in for network-based location technologies. Licensees subject
to this section who employ a network-based location technology shall
provide Phase II 911 enhanced service to at least 50 percent of their
coverage area or 50 percent of their population beginning October 1,
2001, or within 6 months of a PSAP request, whichever is later; and to
100 percent of their coverage area or 100 percent of their population
within 18 months of such a request or by October 1, 2002, whichever is
later.
(g) Phase-in for handset-based location technologies. Licensees subject
to this section who employ a handset-based location technology may
phase in deployment of Phase II enhanced 911 service, subject to the
following requirements:
(1) Without respect to any PSAP request for deployment of Phase II 911
enhanced service, the licensee shall:
(i) Begin selling and activating location-capable handsets no later
than October 1, 2001;
(ii) Ensure that at least 25 percent of all new handsets activated are
location-capable no later than December 31, 2001;
(iii) Ensure that at least 50 percent of all new handsets activated are
location-capable no later than June 30, 2002; and
(iv) Ensure that 100 percent of all new digital handsets activated are
location-capable no later than December 31, 2002, and thereafter.
(v) By December 31, 2005, achieve 95 percent penetration of
location-capable handsets among its subscribers.
(vi) Licensees that meet the enhanced 911 compliance obligations
through GPS-enabled handsets and have commercial agreements with
resellers will not be required to include the resellers' handset counts
in their compliance percentages.
(2) Once a PSAP request is received, the licensee shall, in the area
served by the PSAP, within six months or by October 1, 2001, whichever
is later:
(i) Install any hardware and/or software in the CMRS network and/or
other fixed infrastructure, as needed, to enable the provision of Phase
II enhanced 911 service; and
(ii) Begin delivering Phase II enhanced 911 service to the PSAP.
(3) For all 911 calls from portable or mobile phones that do not
contain the hardware and/or software needed to enable the licensee to
provide Phase II enhanced 911 service, the licensee shall, after a PSAP
request is received, support, in the area served by the PSAP, Phase I
location for 911 calls or other available best practice method of
providing the location of the portable or mobile phone to the PSAP.
(4) Licensees employing handset-based location technologies shall
ensure that location-capable portable or mobile phones shall conform to
industry interoperability standards designed to enable the location of
such phones by multiple licensees.
(h) Phase II accuracy. Licensees subject to this section shall comply
with the following standards for Phase II location accuracy and
reliability, to be tested and measured either at the county or at the
PSAP service area geographic level, based on outdoor measurements only:
(1) Network-based technologies:
(i) 100 meters for 67 percent of calls, consistent with the following
benchmarks:
(A) One year from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 60 percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These
counties or PSAP service areas must cover at least 70 percent of the
population covered by the carrier across its entire network. Compliance
will be measured on a per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the
carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this
section.
(B) Three years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 70 percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These
counties or PSAP service areas must cover at least 80 percent of the
population covered by the carrier across its entire network. Compliance
will be measured on a per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the
carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this
section.
(C) Five years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 100% of counties or PSAP service areas covered by the
carrier. Compliance will be measured on a per-county or per-PSAP basis,
using, at the carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data,
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this
section, or
(3) Handset-based accuracy data as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(v) of
this section.
(ii) 300 meters for 90 percent of calls, consistent with the following
benchmarks:
(A) Three years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 60 percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These
counties or PSAP service areas must cover at least 70 percent of the
population covered by the carrier across its entire network. Compliance
will be measured on a per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the
carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this
section.
(B) Five years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply in 70
percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These counties or PSAP
service areas must cover at least 80 percent of the population covered
by the carrier across its entire network. Compliance will be measured
on a per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the carrier's election,
either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this
section.
(C) Eight years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply in 85
percent of counties or PSAP service areas. Compliance will be measured
on a per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the carrier's election,
either
(1) Network-based accuracy data,
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this
section, or
(3) Handset-based accuracy data as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(v) of
this section.
(iii) County-level or PSAP-level location accuracy standards for
network-based technologies will be applicable to those counties or PSAP
service areas, on an individual basis, in which a network-based carrier
has deployed Phase II in at least one cell site located within a
county's or PSAP service area's boundary. Compliance with the
requirements of paragraph (h)(1)(i) and paragraph (h)(1)(ii) of this
section shall be measured and reported independently.
(iv) Accuracy data from both network-based solutions and handset-based
solutions may be blended to measure compliance with the accuracy
requirements of paragraph (h)(1)(i)(A) through (C) and paragraph
(h)(1)(ii)(A) through (C) of this section. Such blending shall be based
on weighting accuracy data in the ratio of assisted GPS ("A-GPS")
handsets to non-A-GPS handsets in the carrier's subscriber base. The
weighting ratio shall be applied to the accuracy data from each
solution and measured against the network-based accuracy requirements
of paragraph (h)(1) of this section.
(v) A carrier may rely solely on handset-based accuracy data in any
county or PSAP service area if at least 85 percent of its subscribers,
network-wide, use A-GPS handsets, or if it offers A-GPS handsets to
subscribers in that county or PSAP service area at no cost to the
subscriber.
(vi) A carrier may exclude from compliance particular counties, or
portions of counties, where triangulation is not technically possible,
such as locations where at least three cell sites are not sufficiently
visible to a handset. Carriers must file a list of the specific
counties or portions of counties where they are utilizing this
exclusion within 90 days following approval from the Office of
Management and Budget for the related information collection. This list
must be submitted electronically into PS Docket No. 07-114, and copies
must be sent to the National Emergency Number Association, the
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International,
and the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators. Further,
carriers must submit in the same manner any changes to their exclusion
lists within thirty days of discovering such changes. This exclusion
will sunset on [8 years after effective date].
(2) Handset-based technologies:
(i) Two years from January 18, 2011, 50 meters for 67 percent of calls,
and 150 meters for 80 percent of calls, on a per-county or per-PSAP
basis. However, a carrier may exclude up to 15 percent of counties or
PSAP service areas from the 150 meter requirement based upon heavy
forestation that limits handset-based technology accuracy in those
counties or PSAP service areas.
(ii) Eight years from January 18, 2011, 50 meters for 67 percent of
calls, and 150 meters for 90 percent of calls, on a per-county or
per-PSAP basis. However, a carrier may exclude up to 15 percent of
counties or PSAP service areas from the 150 meter requirement based
upon heavy forestation that limits handset-based technology accuracy in
those counties or PSAP service areas.
(iii) Carriers must file a list of the specific counties or PSAP
service areas where they are utilizing the exclusion for heavy
forestation within 90 days following approval from the Office of
Management and Budget for the related information collection. This list
must be submitted electronically into PS Docket No. 07-114, and copies
must be sent to the National Emergency Number Association, the
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International,
and the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators. Further,
carriers must submit in the same manner any changes to their exclusion
lists within thirty days of discovering such changes.
(iv) Providers of new CMRS networks that meet the definition of covered
CMRS providers under paragraph (a) of this section must comply with the
requirements of paragraphs (h)(2)(i) through (iii) of this section. For
this purpose, a "new CMRS network" is a CMRS network that is newly
deployed subsequent to the effective date of the Third Report and Order
in PS Docket No. 07-114 and that is not an expansion or upgrade of an
existing CMRS network.
(3) Confidence and uncertainty data: Two years after January 18, 2011,
all carriers subject to this section shall be required to provide
confidence and uncertainty data on a per-call basis upon the request of
a PSAP. Once a carrier has established baseline confidence and
uncertainty levels in a county or PSAP service area, ongoing accuracy
shall be monitored based on the trending of uncertainty data and
additional testing shall not be required. All entities responsible for
transporting confidence and uncertainty between wireless carriers and
PSAPs, including LECs, CLECs, owners of E911 networks, and emergency
service providers (collectively, System Service Providers (SSPs)) must
implement any modifications that will enable the transmission of
confidence and uncertainty data provided by wireless carriers to the
requesting PSAP. If an SSP does not pass confidence and uncertainty
data to PSAPs, the SSP has the burden of proving that it is technically
infeasible for it to provide such data.
(i) Reports on Phase II plans. Licensees subject to this section shall
report to the Commission their plans for implementing Phase II enhanced
911 service, including the location-determination technology they plan
to employ and the procedure they intend to use to verify conformance
with the Phase II accuracy requirements by November 9, 2000. Licensees
are required to update these plans within thirty days of the adoption
of any change. These reports and updates may be filed electronically in
a manner to be designated by the Commission.
(j) Conditions for enhanced 911 services--(1) Generally. The
requirements set forth in paragraphs (d) through (h) of this section
shall be applicable only if the administrator of the designated Public
Safety Answering Point has requested the services required under those
paragraphs and the Public Safety Answering Point is capable of
receiving and utilizing the data elements associated with the service
and a mechanism for recovering the Public Safety Answering Point's
costs of the enhanced 911 service is in place.
(2) Commencement of six-month period. (i) Except as provided in
paragraph (ii) of this section, for purposes of commencing the
six-month period for carrier implementation specified in paragraphs
(d), (f) and (g) of this section, a PSAP will be deemed capable of
receiving and utilizing the data elements associated with the service
requested, if it can demonstrate that it has:
(A) Ordered the necessary equipment and has commitments from suppliers
to have it installed and operational within such six-month period; and
(B) Made a timely request to the appropriate local exchange carrier for
the necessary trunking, upgrades, and other facilities.
(ii) For purposes of commencing the six-month period for carrier
implementation specified in paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section, a
PSAP that is Phase I-capable using a Non-Call Path Associated Signaling
(NCAS) technology will be deemed capable of receiving and utilizing the
data elements associated with Phase II service if it can demonstrate
that it has made a timely request to the appropriate local exchange
carrier for the ALI database upgrade necessary to receive the Phase II
information.
(3) Tolling of six-month period. Where a wireless carrier has served a
written request for documentation on the PSAP within 15 days of
receiving the PSAP's request for Phase I or Phase II enhanced 911
service, and the PSAP fails to respond to such request within 15 days
of such service, the six-month period for carrier implementation
specified in paragraphs (d), (f), and (g) of this section will be
tolled until the PSAP provides the carrier with such documentation.
(4) Carrier certification regarding PSAP readiness issues. At the end
of the six-month period for carrier implementation specified in
paragraphs (d), (f) and (g) of this section, a wireless carrier that
believes that the PSAP is not capable of receiving and utilizing the
data elements associated with the service requested may file a
certification with the Commission. Upon filing and service of such
certification, the carrier may suspend further implementation efforts,
except as provided in paragraph (j)(4)(x) of this section.
(i) As a prerequisite to filing such certification, no later than 21
days prior to such filing, the wireless carrier must notify the
affected PSAP, in writing, of its intent to file such certification.
Any response that the carrier receives from the PSAP must be included
with the carrier's certification filing.
(ii) The certification process shall be subject to the procedural
requirements set forth in sections 1.45 and 1.47 of this chapter.
(iii) The certification must be in the form of an affidavit signed by a
director or officer of the carrier, documenting:
(A) The basis for the carrier's determination that the PSAP will not be
ready;
(B) Each of the specific steps the carrier has taken to provide the
E911 service requested;
(C) The reasons why further implementation efforts cannot be made until
the PSAP becomes capable of receiving and utilizing the data elements
associated with the E911 service requested; and
(D) The specific steps that remain to be completed by the wireless
carrier and, to the extent known, the PSAP or other parties before the
carrier can provide the E911 service requested.
(iv) All affidavits must be correct. The carrier must ensure that its
affidavit is correct, and the certifying director or officer has the
duty to personally determine that the affidavit is correct.
(v) A carrier may not engage in a practice of filing inadequate or
incomplete certifications for the purpose of delaying its
responsibilities.
(vi) To be eligible to make a certification, the wireless carrier must
have completed all necessary steps toward E911 implementation that are
not dependent on PSAP readiness.
(vii) A copy of the certification must be served on the PSAP in
accordance with § 1.47 of this chapter. The PSAP may challenge in
writing the accuracy of the carrier's certification and shall serve a
copy of such challenge on the carrier. See § § 1.45 and 1.47 and
§ § 1.720 through 1.736 of this chapter.
(viii) If a wireless carrier's certification is facially inadequate,
the six-month implementation period specified in paragraphs (d), (f)
and (g) of this section will not be suspended as provided for in
paragraph (j)(4) of this section.
(ix) If a wireless carrier's certification is inaccurate, the wireless
carrier will be liable for noncompliance as if the certification had
not been filed.
(x) A carrier that files a certification under paragraph (j)(4) of this
section shall have 90 days from receipt of the PSAP's written notice
that it is capable of receiving and utilizing the data elements
associated with the service requested to provide such service in
accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (d) through (h) of this
section.
(5) Modification of deadlines by agreement. Nothing in this section
shall prevent Public Safety Answering Points and carriers from
establishing, by mutual consent, deadlines different from those imposed
for carrier and PSAP compliance in paragraphs (d), (f), and (g)(2) of
this section.
(k) Dispatch service. A service provider covered by this section who
offers dispatch service to customers may meet the requirements of this
section with respect to customers who utilize dispatch service either
by complying with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (b) through
(e) of this section, or by routing the customer's emergency calls
through a dispatcher. If the service provider chooses the latter
alternative, it must make every reasonable effort to explicitly notify
its current and potential dispatch customers and their users that they
are not able to directly reach a PSAP by calling 911 and that, in the
event of an emergency, the dispatcher should be contacted.
(l) Non-service-initialized handsets. (1) Licensees subject to this
section that donate a non-service-initialized handset for purposes of
providing access to 911 services are required to:
(i) Program each handset with 911 plus the decimal representation of
the seven least significant digits of the Electronic Serial Number,
International Mobile Equipment Identifier, or any other identifier
unique to that handset;
(ii) Affix to each handset a label which is designed to withstand the
length of service expected for a non-service-initialized phone, and
which notifies the user that the handset can only be used to dial 911,
that the 911 operator will not be able to call the user back, and that
the user should convey the exact location of the emergency as soon as
possible; and
(iii) Institute a public education program to provide the users of such
handsets with information regarding the limitations of
non-service-initialized handsets.
(2) Manufacturers of 911-only handsets that are manufactured on or
after May 3, 2004, are required to:
(i) Program each handset with 911 plus the decimal representation of
the seven least significant digits of the Electronic Serial Number,
International Mobile Equipment Identifier, or any other identifier
unique to that handset;
(ii) Affix to each handset a label which is designed to withstand the
length of service expected for a non-service-initialized phone, and
which notifies the user that the handset can only be used to dial 911,
that the 911 operator will not be able to call the user back, and that
the user should convey the exact location of the emergency as soon as
possible; and
(iii) Institute a public education program to provide the users of such
handsets with information regarding the limitations of 911-only
handsets.
(3) Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this
paragraph.
(i) Non-service-initialized handset. A handset for which there is no
valid service contract with a provider of the services enumerated in
paragraph (a) of this section.
(ii) 911-only handset. A non-service-initialized handset that is
manufactured with the capability of dialing 911 only and that cannot
receive incoming calls.
(m) Reseller obligation. (1) Beginning December 31, 2006, resellers
have an obligation, independent of the underlying licensee, to provide
access to basic and enhanced 911 service to the extent that the
underlying licensee of the facilities the reseller uses to provide
access to the public switched network complies with sections
20.18(d)-(g).
(2) Resellers have an independent obligation to ensure that all
handsets or other devices offered to their customers for voice
communications and sold after December 31, 2006 are capable of
transmitting enhanced 911 information to the appropriate PSAP, in
accordance with the accuracy requirements of section 20.18(i).
(n) Text-to-911 Requirements. (1) Covered Text Provider:
Notwithstanding any other provisions in this section, for purposes of
this paragraph (n) of this section, a "covered text provider" includes
all CMRS providers as well as all providers of interconnected text
messaging services that enable consumers to send text messages to and
receive text messages from all or substantially all text-capable U.S.
telephone numbers, including through the use of applications downloaded
or otherwise installed on mobile phones.
(2) Automatic Bounce-back Message: an automatic text message delivered
to a consumer by a covered text provider in response to the consumer's
attempt to send a text message to 911 when the consumer is located in
an area where text-to-911 service is unavailable or the covered text
provider does not support text-to-911 service generally or in the area
where the consumer is located at the time.
(3) No later than September 30, 2013, all covered text providers shall
provide an automatic bounce-back message under the following
circumstances:
(i) A consumer attempts to send a text message to a Public Safety
Answering Point (PSAP) by means of the three-digit short code "911";
and
(ii) The covered text provider cannot deliver the text because the
consumer is located in an area where:
(A) Text-to-911 service is unavailable; or
(B) The covered text provider does not support text-to-911 service at
the time.
(4)(i) A covered text provider is not required to provide an automatic
bounce-back message when:
(A) Transmission of the text message is not controlled by the provider;
(B) A consumer is attempting to text 911, through a text messaging
application that requires CMRS service, from a non-service initialized
handset;
(C) When the text-to-911 message cannot be delivered to a PSAP due to
failure in the PSAP network that has not been reported to the provider;
or
(D) A consumer is attempting to text 911 through a device that is
incapable of sending texts via three digit short codes, provided the
software for the device cannot be upgraded over the air to allow
text-to-911.
(ii) The provider of a preinstalled or downloadable interconnected text
application is considered to have "control" over transmission of text
messages for purposes of paragraph (n)(4)(i)(A) of this section.
However, if a user or a third party modifies or manipulates the
application after it is installed or downloaded so that it no longer
supports bounce-back messaging, the application provider will be
presumed not to have control.
(5) The automatic bounce-back message shall, at a minimum, inform the
consumer that text-to-911 service is not available and advise the
consumer or texting program user to use another means to contact
emergency services.
(6) Covered text providers that support text-to-911 must provide a
mechanism to allow PSAPs that accept text-to-911 to request temporary
suspension of text-to-911 service for any reason, including, but not
limited to, network congestion, call taker overload, PSAP failure, or
security breach, and to request resumption of text-to-911 service after
such temporary suspension. During any period of suspension of
text-to-911 service, the covered text provider must provide an
automatic bounce-back message to any consumer attempting to text to 911
in the area subject to the temporary suspension.
(7) Notwithstanding any other provisions in this section, when a
consumer is roaming on a covered text provider's host network pursuant
to § 20.12, the covered text provider operating the consumer's home
network shall have the obligation to originate an automatic bounce-back
message to such consumer when the consumer is located in an area where
text-to-911 service is unavailable, or the home provider does not
support text-to-911 service in that area at the time. The host provider
shall not impede the consumer's 911 text message to the home provider
and/or any automatic bounce-back message originated by the home
provider to the consumer roaming on the host network.
(8) A software application provider that transmits text messages
directly into the SMS network of the consumer's underlying CMRS
provider satisfies the obligations of paragraph (n)(3) of this section
provided it does not prevent or inhibit delivery of the CMRS provider's
automatic bounce-back message to the consumer.
[ 63 FR 2637 , Jan. 16, 1998, as amended at 64 FR 60130 , Nov. 4, 1999; 64 FR 72956 , Dec. 29, 1999; 65 FR 58661 , Oct. 2, 2000; 65 FR 82295 , Dec.
28, 2000; 66 FR 55623 , Nov. 2, 2001; 67 FR 1648 , Jan. 14, 2002; 67 FR 36117 , May 23, 2002; 68 FR 2918 , Jan. 22, 2003; 69 FR 2519 , Jan. 16,
2004; 69 FR 6581 , Feb. 11, 2004; 72 FR 27708 , May 16, 2007; 73 FR 8625 ,
Feb. 14, 2008; 75 FR 70613 , Nov. 18, 2010; 76 FR 59921 , Sept. 28, 2011;
78 FR 32178 , May 29, 2013; 78 FR 64407 , Oct. 29, 2013]
Effective Date Notes: 1. At 68 FR 2918 , Jan. 22, 2003, in § 20.18,
paragraph (j) was revised. Paragraphs (j)(4) and (5) contain
information collection and recordkeeping requirements and will not
become effective until approval has been given by the Office of
Management and Budget.
2. At 72 FR 27708 , May 16, 2007, in § 20.18, paragraph (a) was revised.
The paragraph contains information collection and recordkeeping
requirements and will not become effective until approval has been
given by the Office of Management and Budget.
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