BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1564
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Date of Hearing: March 30, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON UTILITIES AND COMMERCE
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1564
(Williams) - As Amended March 17, 2016
SUBJECT: Emergency services: wireless 911 calls: routing
SUMMARY: Requires the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES),
the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and county coordinators to
review the states routing of 911 calls. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Requires Cal OES to take all necessary actions to maximize the
efficiency of the 911 system.
2)Requires Cal OES to require its Public Safety Communications
Division to work with the CHP and county coordinators to
conduct an annual comprehensive statewide review and routing
decision making process to review call data on the routing of
911 cell phone traffic, as specified.
3)Authorizes a local fire, police, sheriff, or emergency medical
services agency, or a local public safety answering point
(PSAP), to submit a written request for a review of a specific
cell sector, as specified.
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4)Requires Cal OES to require its Public Safety Communications
Division to work with wireless carriers to verify that all
cell sector routing decisions, as specified, have been
implemented.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Provides, under the Warren-911 Emergency Assistance Act
(Warren-911 Act), a local public agency to adopt a plan to
implement a 911 emergency telephone response system, and
establishes the State 911 Advisory Board. (Government Code
Section 53100, et. seq)
2)Requires a provider of commercial mobile radio service to
provide access to the local emergency telephone systems
described in the Warren-911 Act and requires 911 to be the
primary access number for those emergency systems. (Public
Utilities Code Section 2892)
3)Requires a provider of commercial mobile radio service, in
accordance with all applicable Federal Communication
Commission orders, to transmit all 911 calls from
technologically compatible commercial mobile radio service
communication devices without requiring user validation or any
similar procedure. (Public Utilities Code Section 2892)
4)Prohibits 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. (Public Utilities Code Section 2892)
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5)Authorizes a 911 call from a commercial mobile radio service
telecommunications device to be routed to a PSAP other than
the CHP only if the alternate routing meets all of the
following requirements:
a) The 911 call originates from a location other than from
a freeway, under the jurisdiction of the CHP.
b) The alternate routing is economically and
technologically feasible.
c) The alternate routing will benefit public safety and
reduce burdens on dispatchers for the CHP.
d) The CHP, Cal OES, and the proposed alternate PSAP, in
consultation with the wireless industry, providers of 911
selective routing service, and local law enforcement
officials, determine that it is in the best interest of the
public and will provide more effective emergency service to
the public to route 911 calls that do not originate from a
freeway under the jurisdiction of the CHP to another PSAP.
(Public Utilities Code Section 2892)
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS:
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1)Author's Statement: "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. 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."
2)Background: In 1973, the Legislature passed the Warren-911
Act, which established California's 911 emergency telephone
response system. Before the Warren-911 Act, the state had
thousands of different emergency phone numbers, and its
telephone exchange boundaries and central offices service
areas were not designed to consider public safety and
political bounders. The Warren-911 Act provided for a single,
primary three-digit emergency number through which emergency
service could be quickly and efficiently obtained, making it
less difficult for law enforcement and other public service
personal to locate and provide emergency services.
The Cal OES Public Safety Communication Division is tasked
with administering the states 911 emergency system which
includes reviewing local PSAP equipment and operations. The
911 Advisory Board advises Cal OES on the operation, funding,
and planning for the State 911 system.
3)911 Routing: When the Warren-911 Act was enacted, 911
emergency calls were made primarily on landlines. A call
would be routed to a PSAP and the dispatcher would dispatch
emergency services to the location accordingly. As mobile
phones were introduced, mobile 911 calls were routed to a CHP
dispatch because most early mobile phones were in cars and the
assumption was that calls being made from a mobile device were
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primarily to report issues on roadways. As mobile devices
became more common, and the use of landlines decreased, more
911 calls were being made from mobile devices then landlines.
By 2015, 25 million 911 calls were being made each year and
80% of those calls were coming from mobile devices. Currently,
California has approximately 425 PSAPs, which handle 51% of
the states 911 calls, while 25 CHP PSAPs handle the remaining
49%.
4)911 Wireless Routing: There are approximately 300,000
wireless antennas in California. Under current law, 911 calls
from a mobile device may be routed to a PSAP other than the
CHP if the alternate routing meets all of the following
requirements:
a) The 911 call originates from a location other than from
a freeway;
b) The alternate routing is economically and
technologically feasible;
c) The alternate routing will benefit public safety and
reduce burdens on CHP dispatchers; and
d) The CHP, Cal OES, and the proposed alternate PSAP, in
consultation with the wireless industry, providers of 911
selective routing service, and local law enforcement
officials, determine that it is in the best interest of the
public and will provide more effective emergency service to
the public to route 911 calls that do not originate from a
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freeway to another PSAP.
When a 911 call is made from a mobile device, the call is
routed to an antenna on a cell tower. Each antenna is
assigned an Emergency Service Number which determines the PSAP
that will handle the call. Hence, calls made from one
antenna's coverage area might directly be referred to a local
PSAP, whereas, another may be referred to a CHP dispatch
depending on the antenna.
911 callers using a mobile device that are forwarded to a CHP
PSAP are queried until their location is determined by the
CHP. The call is then transferred to a local dispatch center.
This has often resulted in delays of the arrival of emergency
services and on some occasions, such delays have resulted in
serious injury or death.
5)Misrouting of 911 Calls: According to the author, there are
currently significant problems with California's 911 system
including: misrouting of calls to incorrect PSAPs, sometimes
in different cities or regions, and inaccurate caller location
information. The author points to an incident in 2014, in
which a 911 emergency call made in Santa Barbara was routed to
Ventura CHP instead. Inaccurate location information given
from CHP to the local dispatch further delayed the call
resulted in a 20 minute delay in the arrival of medical care.
Furthermore, following the 2014 shooting in Isla Vista, CA, in
August 2015 test calls made from Isla Vista revealed that cell
sites were still routing calls to Ventura CHP instead of a
local dispatch.
6)Comprehensive Review: Cal OES is responsible for the
coordination of state agency response to disasters in order to
ensure that the state is prepared to respond to all hazards
and emergencies, which include assisting local governments in
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their emergency preparedness, response, recovery and
mitigation. This bill requires Cal OES to require its Public
Safety Communications Division to work with CHP and county
coordinators to conduct an annual comprehensive statewide
review and routing decision making process, to implement
findings from the review, of the states 911 emergency systems
to assess the most efficient routing for wireless 911 calls.
The bill also requires the Public Safety Communications
Division to work with wireless carriers to verify that all
cell sector routing decisions have been implemented, as
specified.
After completion of the comprehensive statewide review and
routing decision making process, this bill authorizes a local
fire, police, sheriff, or emergency medical service agency, or
a local PSAP, to submit a written request to the Public Safety
Communication Division, for a review of a specified cell
sector. This would allow local public safety officials to
continually help identify misrouted calls for Cal OES to
ensure calls are routed quickly and accurately to provide more
effective emergency services to the public.
7)Arguments in Support: According to the California
Professional Firefighters, "When lives are on the line, every
second counts. This is especially true, for example, in
instances where an individual sustains a cardiac arrest - a
sudden condition that can be fatal if not treated within a few
minutes. By clarifying the process by which an alternate PSAP
is selected, as proposed by this bill, people in emergency
situations will be able to reach the most efficient emergency
responders the first time, thereby potentially shaving minutes
off of response times. Consequently, AB 1564 aids in
dramatically improving lifesaving outcomes for those who call
9-1-1."
8)Related Legislation:
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AB 2453 (Rodriguez), 2016: Increases the membership of the
State 911 Advisory Board from 11 members to 15, as specified.
Pending in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee.
AB 510 (Rodriguez), 2015: Requires Cal OES, by January 1,
2017, to conduct a comprehensive review of California's 911
emergency communication systems, as specified. Pending in the
Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.
9)Prior Legislation:
AB 1211 (Padilla), Chapter 926, Statutes of 2014: Requires
Cal OES to develop a plan and timeline for testing,
implementation, and operation of a Next Generation 9-1-1
(NG9-1-1) emergency communication system throughout
California, and also requires Cal OES to include NG9-1-1 costs
in its annual calculation of the 9-1-1 surcharge rate.
10) Double Referred: This bill is double referred to the
Assembly Governmental Organization Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
American Medical Response
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California Fire Chiefs Association
California Peace Officers' Association
California Professional Firefighters
County of Santa Barbara
Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Association of
California
Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County
Fire Districts Association of California
League of California Cities
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Edmond Cheung / U. & C. / (916) 319-2083
AB 1564
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