Wireless RERC Included in Emergency Communications Rulemakings

Wireless RERC input on accessible emergency information and text-to-911 was included in recent FCC rulemaking. The first, in the Report and Order (R&O) In the Matter of Accessible Emergency Information and Apparatus Requirements…Video Description…[MB Dockets No. 12-107 and 11-43], the Wireless RERC was cited and/or included in the body of the document 17 times, influencing final rules requiring the simultaneous provision of visual and audio emergency information conveyed during non-newscast programming. Findings from Wireless RERC research have long included this recommendation for any type of alerting modality: traditional broadcast, wireless or otherwise.  In order to ensure accessibility by people with vision loss, audio presentations must be present.  In the R&O In Matter of Facilitating Deployment of Text-to-911…[PS Docket No. 11-153] the Wireless RERC was cited and/or included in the body of the document 15 times, impacting final rules requiring all commercial wireless and interconnected text providers to enable bounce back messages to consumers in areas where text-to-911 is not available.  This requirement will assist with managing the public expectation regarding text-to-911 availability as deployment will be on a rolling basis.