BILL ANALYSIS � 1
SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
ALEX PADILLA, CHAIR
AB 2459 - Torres Hearing Date:
June 19, 2012 A
As Introduced: February 24, 2012 FISCAL B
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DESCRIPTION
Current law requires every local public agency to establish and
operate an emergency telephone system using the digits 911 and
requires the Public Safety Communications Office (Office) within
the California Technology Agency to administer the state 911
system with funding from the State Emergency Telephone Network
Account (SETNA) derived from a surcharge on telephone customers.
This bill would require the Office to develop and implement a
public education campaign to instruct the public on appropriate
and inappropriate uses of the 911 emergency telephone number
system.
BACKGROUND
The Warren 911 Emergency Assistance Act requires every local
public agency to establish and operate an emergency telephone
system using the digits 911. The purpose of the Act is to
ensure an efficient statewide system for delivery of 911 calls
to the appropriate local agency Public Safety Answering Points
(PSAPs) that answer and respond to requests for emergency
assistance. The Act also authorizes the state to oversee the
development and operation of the 911 system.
Responsibility for administering the state's 911 system was
transferred from the Department of General Services to the
Office of the State Chief Information Officer in 2009. This
office was renamed the California Technology Agency by AB 2408
(Smyth, 2010), and 911 duties now reside in the Public Safety
Communications Office within that agency. The Governor has
proposed reorganizing the California Technology Agency.
Funding for the State 911 Office is from a surcharge collected
from customers of California landline, wireless, and Voice Over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers as a percentage
(one-half to three-quarters of 1 percent) of intrastate calling
charges. These fees are deposited into the SETNA in the state
Treasury. The funds are used to reimburse local agencies for
911 system costs, 911 telephone network and database services,
call taking equipment at each PSAP, and other PSAP 911 special
projects, including some local public education campaigns
related to 911 telephone service.
Wireless 911 - About 70 percent of all 911 calls are from a
mobile device. That number will increase as the mobile,
wireless market continues to expand. Nearly 33 million
Californians, or about 89 percent of the statewide population,
subscribe to wireless service.
For many people, the ability to call 911 in an emergency is one
of the main reasons they own a wireless phone. But wireless
phones also pose a special challenge to the 911 system because
calls from these devices do not include location information
with the same accuracy as landline telephones, which can
sometimes lead to a delay in routing calls to the PSAP closest
to the site of the emergency. The Federal Communications
Commission has established benchmarks that wireless providers
must meet over a period of years to meet improved location
accuracy requirements.
Next Generation 911 - A major challenge facing the Office in the
coming years is to migrate the current analog, voice-centric 911
system to "Next Generation 911," the Internet Protocol-based
emergency services model that enables a wide range of voice,
video, and data applications on fixed and mobile platforms. The
Office has developed a statewide Next Gen 911 strategy,
currently is implementing pilot projects, holding public
hearings, and coordinating efforts with federal Next Gen 911
efforts.
Prior Legislation - AB 424 (Torres 2010) was nearly identical to
this bill in requiring a public education campaign, but it also
provided that the campaign be paid for with SETNA funds and
specified subjects that could be included in the campaign,
including the need for callers from wireless phones needing to
be prepared to provide the PSAP dispatcher location information.
Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill with the following veto
message:
"I am returning Assembly Bill 424 without my signature.
This bill would require the Office of the Chief
Information Officer (OCIO) to develop and implement a
public education campaign regarding the appropriate and
inappropriate uses of the 911 emergency telephone
system. This measure is unnecessary inasmuch as the
OCIO already has the authority to establish a statewide
education program. More importantly, however, is that
I cannot condone the estimated expenditure of $2.1
million dollars on a public awareness campaign that is
duplicative of other efforts in a time of fiscal
crisis.
For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill."
COMMENTS
1. Author's Purpose . According to the author, who has 18
years of experience as a 911 dispatcher, the purpose of
this bill is to improve the ability of the public to make
informed and effective use of the 911 telephone system and
thereby improve public agency response to emergencies. The
author states that experts believe up to 80 percent of 911
calls may not involve genuine emergencies, these
non-emergency calls overburden the 911 system, and PSAP
performance could be improved with better public
understanding of when and how to make a 911 call.
2. What is the Message ? According to the author, the
National Emergency Number Association suggests five ideas
that every member of the public should understand: (1)
when to call 911; (2) when not to call 911; (3) the
capabilities of the calling device; (3) caller location;
and (4) need to stay calm and never hang up. However, the
bill does not specify these or any other elements that
should be in the public education campaign this bill
requires. The author's 2010 version of this bill specified
such elements, including information about the need for
wireless callers to be prepared to provide location
information to a dispatcher. If public funds are for a
public education campaign about 911, the message of that
campaign should be focused on the most relevant issues --
the unique public safety issues associated with 911 calls
from wireless phones, and the migration to Next Gen 911.
3. Ratepayer Impact . If SETNA funds are used for the
public education campaign this bill requires, that could
result in fewer funds available for operating and
administering the state's 911 system, which could lead to
an increase of the ratepayer surcharge that generates SETNA
funds.
ASSEMBLY VOTES
Assembly Floor (56-21)
Assembly Appropriations Committee (12-5)
Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
(14-0)
POSITIONS
Sponsor:
Author
Support:
None on file
Oppose:
None on file
Jacqueline Kinney
AB 2459 Analysis
Hearing Date: June 19, 2012