BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 510
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 8, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Adam Gray, Chair
AB 510
(Rodriguez) - As Introduced February 23, 2015
SUBJECT: Emergency services: 911 emergency communication
system
SUMMARY: Requires Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), by
January 1, 2017, to conduct a comprehensive review of
California's 911 emergency communications system, including all
public safety answering points (PSAP), available technology,
funding needs, and telephone and equipment limitations, and
provide a report on its findings to the Legislature, to include
specified information and recommendations. Specifically, this
bill:
1) Provides Cal OES shall, by January 1, 2017, conduct a
comprehensive review of California's 911 emergency
communications system, including all public safety answering
points, available technology, funding needs, and telephone and
equipment limitations, and provide a report on its findings to
the Legislature.
2) Specifies that the report shall provide information
AB 510
Page 2
regarding the accuracy of calls made by mobile devices made in
different areas of the state and shall include office
recommendations for future investment in services and
coordination with private and public groups needed to improve
service and accuracy.
3) Makes legislative findings and declarations.
EXISTING LAW:
1) Establishes Cal OES by the Governor's Reorganization Plan
No. 2, operative July 1, 2013. Requires Cal OES to perform a
variety of duties with respect to specified emergency
preparedness, mitigation, and response activities in the state,
including emergency medical services.
2) Provides under the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act, a
local public agency to adopt a plan to implement a 911 emergency
telephone response system, and establishes the State 911
Advisory Board to advise on specified subjects relating to the
state's 911 emergency telephone response system.
AB 510
Page 3
3) Requires Cal OES to administer the state's 911 emergency
telephone system, including local dispatch centers known as
Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), with funds from a
911-customer surcharge on intrastate communication service.
Requires Cal OES to determine annually, on or before October 1,
the customer surcharge rate to fund the subsequent year's costs
of the state 911 system.
4) Requires Cal OES to develop a plan and timeline of target
dates for testing, implementing, and operating a Next Generation
911 emergency communication system, including text to 911
service, throughout this state.
5) Requires Cal OES, in determining the surcharge rate, to
additionally include costs it expects to incur, consistent with
the plan and timeline, to plan, test, implement, and operate
Next Generation 911 technology and services, including text to
911 service.
6) Requires Cal OES, at least one month before finalizing the
911 surcharge rate, to prepare a summary of the calculation of
the proposed surcharge, include the costs it expects to incur
consistent with the plan to deploy text to 911 and Next
Gen 911, and make this information available to the Legislature
and the 911 Advisory Board, and on the office's Internet Web
site.
AB 510
Page 4
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Purpose of the bill : According to the author, there are gaps
in public safety protection. In addition, accurate caller
location information is vital for 911 calls and the safety of
Californians. Problems with the current 911 systems include:
(1) misrouting a call to an entirely incorrect public safety
answering point (PSAP), sometimes in a different city or region,
and (2) delivery of inaccurate caller location information to
the proper PSAP.
According to the information provided by the author, in many
areas, approximately 70 to 80 percent of 911 calls are made by
wireless devices, and in many cases, the exact location of the
caller is not immediately known. Calls are generally forwarded
to a California Highway Patrol PSAP. The caller is queried, the
location determined, and the call transferred to a local
dispatch center. This often results in delays in the arrival of
emergency medical services responders and the provision of
important medical care. On some occasions, errors in this
process have resulted in serious injury or death.
The author points to a 2014 incident where a 24 year-old woman
was found unconscious on the floor of her family home in Santa
Barbara. A family member called 911 from a cell phone; however,
the call was routed to Ventura, instead of Santa Barbara. This
resulted in a 20-minute delay in the arrival of medical care.
The woman later died at a local hospital.
AB 510
Page 5
The author states, the 911 system is technology dependent, which
over the years has steadily improved. There are, however,
significant problems with the 911 system and planning, and
recent developments in technology and decisions made by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) require the state to
reassess policies and practices.
According to the author, it is imperative that the State of
California perform a review of its 911 emergency communications
system policies and procedures, to make changes that reflect
technology available now and in the near future, and to make
plans to improve the 911 system in order to protect lives. The
author states, "When someone calls 911, every second counts and
it is alarming that, in an age where cell phones are so
prevalent in our society, our 911 systems are not able to
pinpoint a callers location. We need to fix our systems so no
more lives are lost to senseless delays."
Background :
OES Administers Statewide 911 System . California's existing 911
system, established pursuant to the Warren 911 Emergency
Assistance Act of 1976, includes 458 PSAPs that receive about 25
million 911 voice calls per year. These calls are dispatched to
local first responders including police, ambulance, fire,
medical and other emergency service providers.
The Public Safety Communications Office within OES administers
the state 911 system, reviews local PSAPs' 911 equipment and
operations, and reimburses their reasonable costs for planning,
implementation, and maintenance of approved 911 systems. In
AB 510
Page 6
2013, this office was transferred from the California Technology
Agency to OES as part of budget action. The California
Emergency Number Association represents the state's PSAPs and
provides research, planning, and training to support 911
dispatchers and the state 911 system. A state 911 Advisory
Board advises OES on operation, funding, and long-range planning
for PSAPs and the state 911 system.
911 Funded By Customer Surcharge . The 911 program costs are
paid from the State Emergency Telephone Number Account funds,
which are derived from a statewide 911 surcharge on telephone
customer bills, including landline, wireless and Voice over
Internet Protocol services. OES is required to determine the
surcharge rate annually up to a statutory maximum of 0.75
percent of intrastate service charges. The State Emergency
Telephone Number Account has been in a structural deficit for
years, with annual surcharge revenue declining from about $133
million in 2005-06 to about $80 million in 2012-13. The rate
was set at 0.50 percent from 2007 through 2013, but in October
2014, OES increased the surcharge to 0.75 percent effective
January 1, 2014, with projected total revenue of $108 million
for 2014-15.
Next Generation 911 . Next Gen 911 refers to an Internet
Protocol (IP)-based, two-way communications system that will
enable real-time transmission of emergency-related voice, text,
data, photos, and video between the public and public safety
agencies. Next Gen 911 will build upon, and eventually replace,
the existing 911-voice system. Implementing Next Gen 911 will
require substantial funding for PSAP upgrades to an IP-based
platform. A preliminary Cal OES cost estimate reported in 2013
was $885 million for total hardware and software costs to deploy
conceptual Next Gen 911 design while also running the existing
911 system. Cal OES states this is an estimated $375 million
over five years on top of the $510 million to operate the
existing system over that same five years.
AB 510
Page 7
Cal OES has conducted field trials of Text-to-911 at six PSAPs
in California. Cal OES is working on a contract to fund
service, and, upon final approval, can move forward with
deploying Text-to-911. PSAPs will have the ability to select
how they wish to receive text (Integrated, Web, or TTY
emulation). PSAPs can currently receive teletype texts (TTY,
devices used by the hearing impaired), but not Short Message
Service (SMS) unless activated through the carrier. In the
meantime, carriers currently are required to send a
"bounce-back" auto-reply message to alert subscribers who
attempt to text 911 that the service is not available and that
they should place a voice call instead. Many wireless providers
are preparing for next-generation emergency communications but
many PSAPs continue to operate with outdated equipment that is
unable to handle next-generation capabilities.
New Federal 911 location-accuracy rules : On January 29, 2015,
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to adopt
updated rules to help emergency responders to better locate
wireless callers to 911. This rule will require commercial
wireless carriers to provide improved 911 location-accuracy
information, including the first rules for wireless calls made
from inside a building or other facility.
According to a FCC press release, "The updated E911 rules are
intended to help first responders locate Americans calling for
help from indoors, including challenging environments such as
large multi-story buildings, where responders are often unable
to determine the floor or even the building where the 911 call
originated." Under the newly approved rules, within two years,
AB 510
Page 8
carriers will need to give an indoor position within 50 meters
in 40 percent of cases. Within five years, under the new rules,
the location will have to be accurate in 70 percent of cases.
The FCC noted that no single technological approach will solve
the challenge of indoor location, and no solution can be
implemented overnight. The new requirements therefore enable
wireless providers to choose the most effective solutions and
allow sufficient time for development of applicable standards,
establishment of testing mechanisms, and deployment of new
location technology.
Prior legislation : SB 1211 (Padilla), Chapter 926, Statutes of
2014. Requires the Cal OES to develop a plan and timeline of
target dates for testing, implementing, and operating a Next
Generation 911(Next Gen 911) emergency communication system,
including text to 911 service, throughout California, as
specified. Next Gen 911 is an upgrade to allow texting as an
option for requesting emergency assistance.
SB 1597 (Denham), Chapter73, Statutes of 2006. Declares that
monies raised pursuant to the Emergency Telephone Users
Surcharge Act shall be held in trust for future 911 emergency
service projects.
AB 510
Page 9
AB 911 (Longville), Chapter 295, Statutes of 2004. Created a
new infraction for using the "911" telephone system for purposes
other than an emergency, as defined.
SB 911 (Alpert), Chapter 631, Statutes of 2004. Created in
state government, the State 911 Advisory Board to advise the
Telecommunications Division of the Department of General
Services, comprised of specified members appointed by the
Governor.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Ambulance Association
California American College of Emergency Physicians
Opposition
AB 510
Page 10
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Eric Johnson / G.O. / (916) 319-2531