Amended in Assembly March 17, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1564

Introduced by Assembly Member Williams

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(Coauthor: Assembly Member Brough)

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(Coauthor: Senator Hertzberg)

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January 4, 2016

An act to add Sections 8592.8 and 8592.9 to the Government Code, and to begin insert add Section 2986.1 to, and to end insert repeal Section 2892 begin delete of end delete begin insert of, end insert the Public Utilities Code, relating to emergency services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1564, as amended, Williams. Emergency services: wireless 911 calls: routing.

The Public Safety Communication Act of 2002, among other things, requires the Public Safety Radio Strategic Planning Committee to develop and implement a statewide integrated public safety communication system that facilitates interoperability among state public safety departments and other first response agencies and coordinate other shared uses of the public safety spectrum consistent with decisions and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission.

This bill would require that a provider of commercial mobile radio service, as defined, provide access for end users of that service to the local emergency telephone systems described in the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act, that “911” be the primary access number for those services, and that user validation not be required. The bill would prohibit a provider of commercial mobile radio service from charging any airtime, access, or similar usage charge for any “911” call placed from a commercial mobile radio service telecommunications device to a local emergency telephone system. The bill would authorize “911” calls from commercial mobile radio service telecommunications devices to be routed to a public safety answering point other than the Department of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) only if the alternate routing meets specified requirements. The bill would repeal similar provisions regarding wireless “911” calls in the Public Utilities Code.

This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to require the Public Safety Communications Division to work with wireless carriers to verify that all cell sector routing decisions for wireless “911” calls, made pursuant to these provisions, have been implemented. The bill would also require the Office of Emergency Services to maximize the efficiency of the wireless “911” emergency telephone system and to require the Public Safety Communications Division to work with the CHP begin insert and county coordinators end insert to determine whether the most efficient routing of wireless “911” calls should be to a local public safety answering point or to a CHP center, using specified criteria, with a comprehensive statewide review and begin delete implementation end delete begin insert routing decisionmaking process end insert to be completed begin delete no later than July 1, 2019. end delete begin insert annually. end insert After completion of the comprehensive statewide review and begin delete implementation, end delete begin insert routing decisionmaking process, end insert the bill would authorize specified local entities to submit a written request for a review of a specific cell sector based on specified criteria to the Public Safety Communications Division.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 8592.8 is added to the Government Code,
to read:

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8592.8.  

(a) A provider of commercial mobile radio service,
as defined in Section 216.8 of the Public Utilities Code, shall
provide access for end users of that service to the local emergency
telephone systems described in the Warren-911-Emergency
Assistance Act (Article 6 (commencing with Section 53100) of
Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5). “911” shall be the
primary access number for those emergency systems. A provider
of commercial mobile radio service, in accordance with all
applicable Federal Communication Commission orders, shall
transmit all “911” calls from technologically compatible
commercial mobile radio service communication devices without
requiring user validation or any similar procedure. A provider of
commercial mobile radio service may not charge any airtime,
access, or similar usage charge for any “911” call placed from a
commercial mobile radio service telecommunications device to a
local emergency telephone system.

(b) 

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begin insert 8592.8. end insert   

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A “911” begin delete call end delete begin insert call, as described in Section 2896.1 of
the Public Utilities Code, end insert from a commercial mobile radio service
telecommunications device may be routed to a public safety
answering point other than the Department of the California
Highway Patrol only if the alternate routing meets all of the
following requirements:

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(1)

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begin insert (a) end insert  The “911” call originates from a location other than from a
freeway, as defined in Section 23.5 of the Streets and Highways
Code, under the jurisdiction of the Department of the California
Highway Patrol.

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(2)

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begin insert (b) end insert  The alternate routing is economically and technologically
feasible.

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(3)

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begin insert (c) end insert  The alternate routing will benefit public safety.

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(4)

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begin insert (d) end insert  The Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Office
of Emergency Services, and the current or proposed alternate public
safety answering point, in consultation with the wireless industry
and local law enforcement officials, determine that it is in the best
interest of the public, will provide more effective emergency
service to the public to route “911” calls that do not originate from
a freeway, as defined in Section 23.5 of the Streets and Highways
Code, or any other area in which the Department of the California
Highway Patrol has jurisdiction to respond, to another public safety
answering point, and will result in “911” calls being routed to the
responsible responding jurisdiction that covers the location of the
call origination point.

SEC. 2.  

Section 8592.9 is added to the Government Code, to
read:

8592.9.  

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert The Office of Emergency Services shall take all
necessary actions to maximize the efficiency of the “911” system.
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begin insert (b) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The end insert office shall require the Public Safety Communications
Division to work with the Department of the California Highway
Patrol begin insert and county coordinators end insert to review call data on the routing
of “911” cell phone traffic to assess whether wireless “911” calls
should be routed to a local public safety answering point or a
California Highway Patrol call center in order to determine the
most efficient routing for wireless “911” calls, with a
comprehensive statewide review and begin delete implementation being
completed no later than July 1, 2019. end delete begin insert routing decisionmaking
process, both to be conducted annually. end insert begin delete After end delete

begin insert (c) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert After end insert completion of the begin insert annual end insert comprehensive statewide
review and begin delete implementation, end delete begin insert routing decisionmaking process, end insert a
local fire, police, sheriff, or emergency medical services agency,
or a local public safety answering point, may submit a written
request for a review of a specific cell sector based on the criteria
specified in Section 8592.8 to the Public Safety Communications
Division within the Office of Emergency Services. begin delete The end delete

begin insert (d) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The end insert office shall also require its Public Safety
Communications Division to work with the wireless carriers to
verify that all cell sector routing decisions made pursuant to
begin delete paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of end delete Section 8592.8 have been
implemented.

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begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

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begin insert Section 2896.1 is added to the end insert begin insert Public Utilities Code end insert begin insert ,
to read: end insert

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begin insert 2896.1. end insert   

A provider of commercial mobile radio service, as
defined in Section 216.8, shall provide access for end users of that
service to the local emergency telephone systems described in the
Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act (Article 6 (commencing
with Section 53100) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title
5 of the Government Code). “911” shall be the primary access
number for those emergency systems. A provider of commercial
mobile radio service, in accordance with all applicable Federal
Communication Commission orders, shall transmit all “911” calls
from technologically compatible commercial mobile radio service
communication devices without requiring user validation or any
similar procedure. A provider of commercial mobile radio service
may not charge any airtime, access, or similar usage charge for
any “911” call placed from a commercial mobile radio service
telecommunications device to a local emergency telephone system.

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begin delete SEC. 3. end delete
begin insert SEC. 4. end insert   

Section 2892 of the Public Utilities Code is repealed.