BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 510
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
510 (Rodriguez and Williams)
As Introduced February 23, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Governmental |21-0 |Gray, Linder, | |
|Organization | |Achadjian, Alejo, | |
| | |Bigelow, Campos, | |
| | |Cooley, Cooper, | |
| | |Daly, Cristina | |
| | |Garcia, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gipson, Roger | |
| | |Hernández, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Jones-Sawyer, | |
| | |Levine, Mayes, | |
| | |Perea, Salas, | |
| | |Steinorth, Waldron, | |
| | |Wilk | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
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| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, Gallagher, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requires the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to
conduct, by January 1, 2017, a comprehensive review of the state's
911 emergency communications system, including all public safety
answering points (PSAP), available technology, funding needs,
telephone and equipment limitations, and the accuracy of calls
made by mobile devices, and provide a report on its findings and
recommendations to the Legislature. 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 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.
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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 of 1976,
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.
3)Requires Cal OES to administer the state's 911 emergency
telephone system, including local dispatch centers known as
PSAP, 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.
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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.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor and absorbable costs to Cal OES as a similar
report has already been commissioned.
COMMENTS:
Purpose of the bill: According to the author, there are two
primary problems with the state's current 911 emergency call
system resulting from the widespread use of mobile phones: 1)
calls are misrouted to the incorrect public safety answering
point, sometimes in another city or county; and 2) caller location
information provided to the public safety answering point is often
inaccurate. The author claims approximately 70% to 80% of 911
calls are now made by wireless devices. These calls are typically
forwarded to the California Highway Patrol, which ascertains the
location of the call and transfers the caller to the appropriate
local dispatch center, often causing delays in emergency response
services.
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.
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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 2013,
this office was transferred from the California Technology Agency
to Cal OES as part of budget action. The California Emergency
Number Association represents the state's PSAPs and provides
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research, planning, and training to support 911 dispatchers and
the state 911 system. A state 911 Advisory Board advises Cal 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% 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% from 2007 through
2013, but in October 2014, Cal OES increased the surcharge to
0.75% 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.
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
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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
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,
carriers will need to give an indoor position within 50 meters in
40% of cases. Within five years, under the new rules, the location
will have to be accurate in 70% 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.
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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 emergency communication system, including text to
911 service, throughout California, as specified. Next Generation
911 is an upgrade to allow texting as an option for requesting
emergency assistance.
SB 1597 (Denham), Chapter 73, 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 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 2003. 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.
Analysis Prepared by:
Eric Johnson / G.O. / (916) 319-2531 FN: 0000659
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