Emergency Communications

The Wireless RERC filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking In the Matter of Accessible Emergency Information, and Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description:  Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010.  The comments highlighted research findings of the Wireless RERC concerning the accessibility of emergency alerts, including that people with vision loss consistently encounter challenges in accessing the content of emergenc

The Wireless RERC filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to their Public Notice In the Matter of Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Seeks Comment on the Legal and Statutory Framework for Next Generation 9-1-1 Services Pursuant to the Next Generation 9-1-1 Advancement Act of 2012.  The comments recommended state level coordination of the transition to NG9-1-1, noting such coordination would aid in outreach efforts once NG9-1-1 services are implemented, for example in streamlining the resources needed to create materials in alterna

December 12, 2012 — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [FCC 12-149] that proposed rules requiring all wireless carriers and providers of Internet-based text messaging applications to enable customers to send text messages to 911 centers (text-to-911).

December 6, 2012—The four largest wireless carriers in the U.S.—AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile—have made the commitment to accelerate the deployment of text-to-911 services, starting with major deployments in 2013 and nationwide access available by May 15, 2014. The announcement was made by Julius Genachowski, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, who also stated the FCC’s promise to work with all stakeholders and initiate any additional actions to ensure the accessibility of text-to-911 messaging is reached as soon as possible.

November 21, 2012 - The next open meeting of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be held on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 1:00pm EST. Agenda items include: a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to broadband services; a Report and Order related to increasing support for rural health care services; and a Report, Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to Next Generation 911 (NG 9-1-1) services that would develop and deploy Text-to-911.