[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 82 (Thursday, April 28, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 23713-23714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10229]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 20
[PS Docket No. 07-114; FCC 10-176]
Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.
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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years,
the information collection requirements contained in regulations
concerning wireless E911 location accuracy requirements. The
information collection requirements were approved on March 30, 2011 by
OMB.
DATES: The amendments to 47 CFR 20.18(h)(1)(vi), (h)(2)(iii), and
(h)(3) published at 75 FR 70604, November 18, 2010, are effective on
April 28, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
contact [email protected] or on (202) 418-2413.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 18, 2010 at 75 FR 70604, the
Commission published in the Federal Register the summary of the Second
Report and Order (2nd R&O) in PS Docket No. 07-114; FCC 10-176. In the
2nd R&O, Commission amended 47 CFR 20.18(h) to require wireless
licensees subject to standards for wireless Enhanced 911 (E911) Phase
II location accuracy and reliability to satisfy these standards at
either a county-based or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)-based
geographic level. The Commission took this step to ensure an
appropriate and consistent compliance methodology with respect to
location accuracy standards. In the notice at 75 FR 70604, the
Commission announced that the amended rule is effective January 18,
2011, except for Sec. Sec. 20.18(h)(1)(vi), 20.18(h)(2)(iii), and
20.18(h)(3), which contain information collection requirements that
have not been approved by OMB. The
[[Page 23714]]
Commission also announced that it would publish a document in the
Federal Register announcing the effective date. The Commission's
estimate of burden hours for the information collection approved by OMB
also considers the potential filing of waiver requests to provide the
Commission and the public safety community, including public safety
organizations and State and local jurisdiction and PSAPs, awareness of
the wireless carriers and SSPs that are experiencing an inability to
comply with the amended location accuracy requirements. In the 2ndR&O,
the Commission declined to adopt any changes to the Commission's
existing waiver criteria, which it found have been sufficient to date
in addressing particular circumstances on a case-by-case basis and
remain available to all carriers. Further, the Commission expected that
the rule changes allowing for handset-based and network-based carriers
to claim exclusions based on the specified limitations should minimize
the need for waiver relief.
Synopsis
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3507), the Commission is notifying the public that it received OMB
approval on March 30, 2011, for the information collection requirements
contained in 47 CFR 20.18(h). Under 5 CFR 1320, an agency may not
conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a
current, valid OMB Control Number.
No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
that does not display a valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control
Number is 3060-1147 and the total annual reporting burdens for
respondents for this information collection are as follows:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1147.
Title: Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements.
OMB Approval Date: March 30, 2011.
OMB Expiration Date: March 31, 2014.
Form No.: N/A.
Type of Review: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control
Number).
Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 6,000 respondents; 13,700 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 11.85 hours (average).
Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Total Annual Burden: 71,100
hours.
Total Annual Cost: N/A.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: No confidentiality is
required for this collection.
Needs and Uses: Pursuant to 47 CFR 20.18(h)(1)(vi), wireless
carriers using network-based technologies to provide Enhanced 911
(E911) Phase II service may exclude from compliance with the
Commission's amended location accuracy standards under 47 CFR
20.18(h)(1)(i)-(v) particular counties, or portions of counties, where
triangulation is not technically possible, such as locations where at
least three cell sites are not sufficiently visible to a handset.
However, carriers must file a list of the specific counties or portions
of counties where they are utilizing this exclusion within 90 days
following approval from the Office of Management and Budget for the
related information collection. This list must be submitted
electronically into PS Docket No. 07-114, and copies must be sent to
the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-
Safety Communications Officials-International, and the National
Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators. Further, carriers must
submit in the same manner any changes to their exclusion lists within
thirty days of discovering such changes. This exclusion will sunset
eight years after January 18, 2011.
Pursuant to 47 CFR 20.18(h)(2)(iii), wireless carriers wireless
carriers using handset-based technologies to provide Enhanced 911
(E911) Phase II service must file a list of the specific counties or
PSAP service areas where they are utilizing an exclusion under 47 CFR
20.18(h)(2)(i)-(ii) to exclude 15 percent of counties or PSAP service
areas from the 150 meter requirement based upon heavy forestation that
limits handset-based technology accuracy in those counties or PSAP
service areas. Such carriers must file the list within 90 days
following approval from the Office of Management and Budget for the
related information collection. This list must be submitted
electronically into PS Docket No. 07-114, and copies must be sent to
the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-
Safety Communications Officials-International, and the National
Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators. Further, carriers must
submit in the same manner any changes to their exclusion lists within
thirty days of discovering such changes.
Pursuant to 47 CFR 20.18(h)(3), two years after January 18, 2011,
all carriers subject to this section shall be required to provide
confidence and uncertainty data on a per-call basis upon the request of
a PSAP. Once a carrier has established baseline confidence and
uncertainty levels in a county or PSAP service area, ongoing accuracy
shall be monitored based on the trending of uncertainty data and
additional testing shall not be required. All entities responsible for
transporting confidence and uncertainty between wireless carriers and
PSAPs, including LECs, CLECs, owners of E911 networks, and emergency
service providers (collectively, System Service Providers (SSPs)) must
implement any modifications that will enable the transmission of
confidence and uncertainty data provided by wireless carriers to the
requesting PSAP. If an SSP does not pass confidence and uncertainty
data to PSAPs, the SSP has the burden of proving that it is technically
infeasible for it to provide such data.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-10229 Filed 4-27-11; 8:45 am]
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