Enhanced 911

The dispatcher's computer receives information from the telephone company about the physical address (for landlines) or geographic coordinates (for wireless) of the caller.[9] When the cellular phone detects that the user is placing an emergency call, it begins to transmit its location to a secure server, from which the PSAP can retrieve it.Cellphone manufacturers may program the phone to enable GPS function automatically (in case it has been turned off) when the user places an emergency call.The location of the caller or handset can be determined several ways: The first two depend on a line of sight, which can be difficult or impossible in mountainous terrain or around skyscrapers.[11] AT&T Mobility initially advocated TDOA, but changed to embedded GPS in 2006 for every GSM or UMTS voice-capable device due to improved accuracy.Code division multiple access (CDMA) networks tend to use handset-based radiolocation technologies, which are technically more similar to radionavigation.A pioneering system was in place in Chicago by the mid-1970s, providing both police and fire departments access to the source location of emergency calls.In 1996, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order requiring wireless carriers to determine and transmit the location of callers who dial 911.By mid-2005, implementation of Phase II was generally underway, limited by the complexity of coordination required from wireless and wireline carriers, PSAPs, and other affected government agencies; and by the limited funding available to local agencies which needed to convert PSAP equipment to display location data (usually on computerized maps).The rule is likely to have no effect as all major carriers will have already achieved over 85% GPS chipset penetration, and are thus able to meet the standard regardless of their 'network based' location capabilities.[7][needs update] In 2009, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) required implementation of Phase II Stage 1 for wireless carrier by 1 February 2010, in areas that provide landline E911.Early CAD systems provided text display of the caller's address, call history and available emergency response resources.In 1994, working in cooperation with the emergency response agencies of Covington, KY, 911 Mapping Systems, Inc.[19] founded in 1992 by Robert Graham Thomas Jr.,[20] implemented the first real-time on-screen E911 street map display to highlight the caller's position, nearest available emergency responders and other relevant information such as fire hydrants, hazardous materials and/or other data maintained by the city.Initially, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a hands-off approach to VoIP in order to let the service mature, and also to facilitate competition in the telephony market.In March 2005, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit against Vonage for deceptive marketing practices by not making it clear that VoIP users had to actually sign up for E911 service.[24] The E911 hookup may be directly with the Wireline E911 Network, indirectly through a third party such as a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), or by any other technical means.[33] In response to the E911 challenges inherent to IP phone systems, specialized technology has been developed to locate callers in the case of emergency.Many of these solutions have been established according to FCC, CRTC, and NENA i2 standards, in order to help enterprises and service providers reduce liability concerns and meet E911 regulations.Multi-line Telephone System (MLTS) pertains to the location of callers dialing 911 from within the private telecommunications networks used by large organizations.Today’s highly mobile work forces and technologies that allow users to relocate without the intervention of an administrator place significant responsibilities on the MLTS owner or operator.On August 1, 2019, the FCC adopted a Report and Order to address calls to 911 made from multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) that commonly serve hotels and office buildings, pursuant to Kari’s Law.The burden still remains upon the enterprise organization to provide compliance when an emergency call originates from within a MLTS system, however the new language also adds responsibility to Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors, and Installers as well s the person who owns, operates.The member driven volunteer organization that represents the people who staff the PSAPs, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA.org), has done significant work advocating on the subject of MLTS E911.[38] It is an important contemporary issue of growing concern as enterprise style organizations employ new technologies to create vast private networks that interconnect with the PSTN in ways that do not map to the logic used to locate callers in the Public Enhanced 911 system.The FCC Report and Order outlines the actions taken:[39] In addition to upgrading communications systems, some counties and communities in the United States have established ordinances (e.g. IRC section R319.1) requiring property owners to standardize the display of house numbers on buildings and along streets and roadways, to allow emergency personnel to more easily identify a given address day or night, even in poor weather.[citation needed] The FBI CAST Cellular Analysis & Geo-Location Field Resource Guide[40] reveals that wireless carriers in the U.S. routinely activate E911 functionality on their customers' mobile phones for the purposes of tracking their locations without their permission, as of March 2019.Telecommunications companies then provide this location data to various government agencies that request it, making it clear that use of E911 functionality is not limited to emergencies and that the technology is often implemented in such a way that tracking can be remotely activated without the user's knowledge or consent.After a national test of Wireless Emergency Alerts (live since 2012) on 3 October 2018, a number of rumours and false statements spread on social media.