§ 20.18 - [Reserved]

§ 20.18 911 Service.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 84 FR 66779, Dec. 5, 2019.

(a) Scope of section. Except as described in paragraph (r) of this 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) 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). CMRS providers that provide voice communications over IP facilities are not required to support 911 access via TTYs if they provide 911 access via real-time text (RTT) communications, in accordance with 47 CFR part 67, except that RTT support is not required to the extent that it is not achievable for a particular manufacturer to support RTT on the provider's network.

(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) Latency (Time to First Fix). For purposes of measuring compliance with the location accuracy standards of this paragraph, a call will be deemed to satisfy the standard only if it provides the specified degree of location accuracy within a maximum latency period of 30 seconds, as measured from the time the user initiates the 911 call to the time the location fix appears at the location information center: Provided, however, that the CMRS provider may elect not to include for purposes of measuring compliance therewith any calls lasting less than 30 seconds.

(i) Indoor location accuracy for 911 and testing requirements -

(1) Definitions: The terms as used in this section have the following meaning:

(i) Dispatchable location: A location delivered to the PSAP by the CMRS provider with a 911 call that consists of the street address of the calling party, plus additional information such as suite, apartment or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party. The street address of the calling party must be validated and, to the extent possible, corroborated against other location information prior to delivery of dispatchable location information by the CMRS provider to the PSAP.

(ii) Media Access Control (MAC) Address. A location identifier of a Wi-Fi access point.

(iii) National Emergency Address Database (NEAD). A database that utilizes MAC address information to identify a dispatchable location for nearby wireless devices within the CMRS provider's coverage footprint.

(iv) Nationwide CMRS provider: A CMRS provider whose service extends to a majority of the population and land area of the United States.

(v) Non-nationwide CMRS provider: Any CMRS provider other than a nationwide CMRS provider.

(vi) Test Cities. The six cities (San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver/Front Range, Philadelphia, and Manhattan Borough) and surrounding geographic areas that correspond to the six geographic regions specified by the February 7, 2014 ATIS Document, “Considerations in Selecting Indoor Test Regions,” for testing of indoor location technologies.

(2) Indoor location accuracy standards: CMRS providers subject to this section shall meet the following requirements:

(i) Horizontal location.

(A) Nationwide CMRS providers shall provide; dispatchable location, or ; x/y location within 50 meters, for the following percentages of wireless 911 calls within the following timeframes, measured from the effective date of the adoption of this rule:

(1) Within 2 years: 40 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(2) Within 3 years: 50 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(3) Within 5 years: 70 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(4) Within 6 years: 80 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(B) Non-nationwide CMRS providers shall provide; dispatchable location or; x/y location within 50 meters, for the following percentages of wireless 911 calls within the following timeframes, measured from the effective date of the adoption of this rule:

(1) Within 2 years: 40 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(2) Within 3 years: 50 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(3) Within 5 years or within six months of deploying a commercially-operating VoLTE platform in their network, whichever is later: 70 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(4) Within 6 years or within one year of deploying a commercially-operating VoLTE platform in their network, whichever is later: 80 percent of all wireless 911 calls.

(ii) Vertical location. CMRS providers shall provide vertical location information with wireless 911 calls as described in this section within the following timeframes measured from the effective date of the adoption of this rule:

(A) Within 3 years: All CMRS providers shall make uncompensated barometric data available to PSAPs with respect to any 911 call placed from any handset that has the capability to deliver barometric sensor information.

(B) Within 3 years: Nationwide CMRS providers shall develop one or more z-axis accuracy metrics validated by an independently administered and transparent test bed process as described in paragraph (i)(3)(i) of this section, and shall submit the proposed metric or metrics, supported by a report of the results of such development and testing, to the Commission for approval.

(C) Within 6 years: In each of the top 25 CMAs, nationwide CMRS providers shall deploy either;) dispatchable location, or ; z-axis technology in compliance with any z-axis accuracy metric that has been approved by the Commission,

(1) In each CMA where dispatchable location is used: nationwide CMRS providers must ensure that the NEAD is populated with a sufficient number of total dispatchable location reference points to equal 25 percent of the CMA population.

(2) In each CMA where z-axis technology is used: nationwide CMRS providers must deploy z-axis technology to cover 80 percent of the CMA population.

(D) Within 8 years: In each of the top 50 CMAs, nationwide CMRS providers shall deploy either

(1) Dispatchable location or;

(2) Such z-axis technology in compliance with any z-axis accuracy metric that has been approved by the Commission.

(E) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that serve any of the top 25 or 50 CMAs will have an additional year to meet each of the benchmarks in paragraphs (i)(2)(ii)(C) and (D) of this section.

(iii) Compliance. Within 60 days after each benchmark date specified in paragraphs (i)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section, CMRS providers must certify that they are in compliance with the location accuracy requirements applicable to them as of that date. CMRS providers shall be presumed to be in compliance by certifying that they have complied with the test bed and live call data provisions described in paragraph (i)(3) of this section.

(A) All CMRS providers must certify that the indoor location technology (or technologies) used in their networks are deployed consistently with the manner in which they have been tested in the test bed. A CMRS provider must update certification whenever it introduces a new technology into its network or otherwise modifies its network, such that previous performance in the test bed would no longer be consistent with the technology's modified deployment.

(B) CMRS providers that provide quarterly reports of live call data in one or more of the six test cities specified in paragraph (i)(1)(vi) of this section must certify that their deployment of location technologies throughout their coverage area is consistent with their deployment of the same technologies in the areas that are used for live call data reporting.

(C) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that do not provide service or report quarterly live call data in any of the six test cities specified in paragraph (i)(1)(vi) of this section must certify that they have verified based on their own live call data that they are in compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (i)(2)(i)(B) and (ii) of this section.

(iv) Enforcement. PSAPs may seek Commission enforcement within their geographic service area of the requirements of paragraphs (i)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section, but only so long as they have implemented policies that are designed to obtain all location information made available by CMRS providers when initiating and delivering 911 calls to the PSAP. Prior to seeking Commission enforcement, a PSAP must provide the CMRS provider with [30] days written notice, and the CMRS provider shall have an opportunity to address the issue informally. If the issue has not been addressed to the PSAP's satisfaction within 90 days, the PSAP may seek enforcement relief.

(3) Indoor location accuracy testing and live call data reporting -

(i) Indoor location accuracy test bed. CMRS providers must establish the test bed described in this section within 12 months of the effective date of this rule. CMRS providers must validate technologies intended for indoor location, including dispatchable location technologies and technologies that deliver horizontal and/or vertical coordinates, through an independently administered and transparent test bed process, in order for such technologies to be presumed to comply with the location accuracy requirements of this paragraph. The test bed shall meet the following minimal requirements in order for the test results to be considered valid for compliance purposes:

(A) Include testing in representative indoor environments, including dense urban, urban, suburban and rural morphologies;

(B) Test for performance attributes including location accuracy (ground truth as measured in the test bed), latency (Time to First Fix), and reliability (yield); and

(C) Each test call (or equivalent) shall be independent from prior calls and accuracy will be based on the first location delivered after the call is initiated.

(D) In complying with paragraph (i)(3)(i)(B) of this section, CMRS providers shall measure yield separately for each individual indoor location morphology (dense urban, urban, suburban, and rural) in the test bed, and based upon the specific type of location technology that the provider intends to deploy in real-world areas represented by that particular morphology. CMRS providers must base the yield percentage based on the number of test calls that deliver a location in compliance with any applicable indoor location accuracy requirements, compared to the total number of calls that successfully connect to the testing network. CMRS providers may exclude test calls that are dropped or otherwise disconnected in 10 seconds or less from calculation of the yield percentage (both the denominator and numerator).

(ii) Collection and reporting of aggregate live 911 call location data. CMRS providers providing service in any of the Test Cities or portions thereof must collect and report aggregate data on the location technologies used for live 911 calls in those areas.

(A) CMRS providers subject to this section shall identify and collect information regarding the location technology or technologies used for each 911 call in the reporting area during the calling period.

(B) CMRS providers subject to this section shall report Test City call location data on a quarterly basis to the Commission, the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, and the National Association of State 911 Administrators, with the first report due 18 months from the effective date of rules adopted in this proceeding.

(C) CMRS providers subject to this section shall also provide quarterly live call data on a more granular basis that allows evaluation of the performance of individual location technologies within different morphologies (e.g., dense urban, urban, suburban, rural). To the extent available, live call data for all CMRS providers shall delineate based on a per technology basis accumulated and so identified for:

(1) Each of the ATIS ESIF morphologies;

(2) On a reasonable community level basis; or

(3) By census block. This more granular data will be used for evaluation and not for compliance purposes.

(D) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that operate in a single Test City need only report live 911 call data from that city or portion thereof that they cover. Non-nationwide CMRS providers that operate in more than one Test City must report live 911 call data only in half of the regions (as selected by the provider). In the event a non-nationwide CMRS provider begins coverage in a Test City it previously did not serve, it must update its certification pursuant to paragraph (i)(2)(iii)(C) of this section to reflect this change in its network and begin reporting data from the appropriate areas. All non-nationwide CMRS providers must report their Test City live call data every 6 months, beginning 18 months from the effective date of rules adopted in this proceeding.

(E) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that do not provide coverage in any of the Test Cities can satisfy the requirement of paragraph (i)(3)(ii) of this section by collecting and reporting data based on the largest county within its footprint. In addition, where a non-nationwide CMRS provider serves more than one of the ATIS ESIF morphologies, it must include a sufficient number of representative counties to cover each morphology.

(iii) Data retention. CMRS providers shall retain testing and live call data gathered pursuant to this section for a period of 2 years.

(4) Submission of plans and reports. The following reporting and certification obligations apply to all CMRS providers subject to this section, which may be filed electronically in PS Docket No. 07-114:

(i) Initial implementation plan. No later than 18 months from the effective date of the adoption of this rule, nationwide CMRS providers shall report to the Commission on their plans for meeting the indoor location accuracy requirements of paragraph (i)(2) of this section. Non-nationwide CMRS providers will have an additional 6 months to submit their implementation plans.

(ii) Progress reports. No later than 18 months from the effective date of the adoption of this rule, each CMRS provider shall file a progress report on implementation of indoor location accuracy requirements. Non-nationwide CMRS providers will have an additional 6 months to submit their progress reports. All CMRS providers shall provide an additional progress report no later than 36 months from the effective date of the adoption of this rule. The 36-month reports shall indicate what progress the provider has made consistent with its implementation plan, and the nationwide CMRS providers shall include an assessment of their deployment of dispatchable location solutions. For any CMRS provider participating in the development of the NEAD database, this progress report must include detail as to the implementation of the NEAD database described in paragraphs (i)(4)(iii) and (iv) of this section.

(iii) NEAD privacy and security plan. Prior to activation of the NEAD but no later than 18 months from the effective date of the adoption of this rule, the nationwide CMRS providers shall file with the Commission and request approval for a security and privacy plan for the administration and operation of the NEAD. The plan must include the identity of an administrator for the NEAD, who will serve as a point of contact for the Commission and shall be accountable for the effectiveness of the security, privacy, and resiliency measures.

(iv) NEAD use certification. Prior to use of the NEAD or any information contained therein to meet such requirements, CMRS providers must certify that they will not use the NEAD or associated data for any non-911 purpose, except as otherwise required by law.

(j) Confidence and uncertainty data.

(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (j)(2)-(3) of this section, CMRS providers subject to this section shall provide for all wireless 911 calls, whether from outdoor or indoor locations, x- and y-axis (latitude, longitude) confidence and uncertainty information (C/U data) on a per-call basis upon the request of a PSAP. The data shall specify

(i) The caller's location with a uniform confidence level of 90 percent, and;

(ii) The radius in meters from the reported position at that same confidence level. All entities responsible for transporting confidence and uncertainty between CMRS providers and PSAPs, including LECs, CLECs, owners of E911 networks, and emergency service providers, must enable the transmission of confidence and uncertainty data provided by CMRS providers to the requesting PSAP.

(2) Upon meeting the 3-year timeframe pursuant to paragraph (i)(2)(i) of this section, CMRS providers shall provide with wireless 911 calls that have a dispatchable location the C/U data for the x- and y-axis (latitude, longitude) required under paragraph (j)(1) of this section.

(3) Upon meeting the 6-year timeframe pursuant to paragraph (i)(2)(i) of this section, CMRS providers shall provide with wireless 911 calls that have a dispatchable location the C/U data for the x- and y-axis (latitude, longitude) required under paragraph (j)(1) of this section.

(k) Provision of live 911 call data for PSAPs. Notwithstanding other 911 call data collection and reporting requirements in paragraph (i) of this section, CMRS providers must record information on all live 911 calls, including, but not limited to, the positioning source method used to provide a location fix associated with the call. CMRS providers must also record the confidence and uncertainty data that they provide pursuant to paragraphs (j)(1) through (3) of this section. This information must be made available to PSAPs upon request, and shall be retained for a period of two years.

(l) 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.

(m) Conditions for enhanced 911 services -

(1) Generally. The requirements set forth in paragraphs (d) through (h)(2) and in paragraph (j) of this section shall be applicable only to the extent that the administrator of the applicable designated PSAP has requested the services required under those paragraphs and such PSAP is capable of receiving and utilizing the requested data elements and has a mechanism for recovering the PSAP's costs associated with them.

(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 1.740 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.

(n) 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.

(o) 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.

(p) 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).

(q) 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.

(9) 911 text message. A 911 text message is a message, consisting of text characters, sent to the short code “911” and intended to be delivered to a PSAP by a covered text provider, regardless of the text messaging platform used.

(10) Delivery of 911 text messages.

(i) No later than December 31, 2014, all covered text providers must have the capability to route a 911 text message to a PSAP. In complying with this requirement, covered text providers must obtain location information sufficient to route text messages to the same PSAP to which a 911 voice call would be routed, unless the responsible local or state entity designates a different PSAP to receive 911 text messages and informs the covered text provider of that change. All covered text providers using device-based location information that requires consumer activation must clearly inform consumers that they must grant permission for the text messaging application to access the wireless device's location information in order to enable text-to-911. If a consumer does not permit this access, the covered text provider's text application must provide an automated bounce-back message as set forth in paragraph (n)(3) of this section.

(ii) Covered text providers must begin routing all 911 text messages to a PSAP by June 30, 2015, or within six months of the PSAP's valid request for text-to-911 service, whichever is later, unless an alternate timeframe is agreed to by both the PSAP and the covered text provider. The covered text provider must notify the Commission of the dates and terms of the alternate timeframe within 30 days of the parties' agreement.

(iii) Valid Request means that:

(A) The requesting PSAP is, and certifies that it is, technically ready to receive 911 text messages in the format requested;

(B) The appropriate local or state 911 service governing authority has specifically authorized the PSAP to accept and, by extension, the covered text provider to provide, text-to-911 service; and

(C) The requesting PSAP has provided notification to the covered text provider that it meets the foregoing requirements. Registration by the PSAP in a database made available by the Commission in accordance with requirements established in connection therewith, or any other written notification reasonably acceptable to the covered text provider, shall constitute sufficient notification for purposes of this paragraph.

(iv) The requirements set forth in paragraphs (n)(10)(i) through (iii) of this section do not apply to in-flight text messaging providers, MSS providers, or IP Relay service providers, or to 911 text messages that originate from Wi-Fi only locations or that are transmitted from devices that cannot access the CMRS network.

(11) Access to SMS networks for 911 text messages. To the extent that CMRS providers offer Short Message Service (SMS), they shall allow access by any other covered text provider to the capabilities necessary for transmission of 911 text messages originating on such other covered text providers' application services. Covered text providers using the CMRS network to deliver 911 text messages must clearly inform consumers that, absent an SMS plan with the consumer's underlying CMRS provider, the covered text provider may be unable to deliver 911 text messages. CMRS providers may migrate to other technologies and need not retain SMS networks solely for other covered text providers' 911 use, but must notify the affected covered text providers not less than 90 days before the migration is to occur.

(r) Contraband Interdiction System (CIS) requirement. CIS providers regulated as private mobile radio service (see § 20.3) 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.” This requirement shall not apply if the Public Safety Answering Point or emergency authority informs the CIS provider that it does not wish to receive 911 calls from the CIS provider.

[63 FR 2637, Jan. 16, 1998]

Editorial Note

Editorial Note:

For Federal Register citations affecting § 20.18, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.

[Reserved]