How Does the E911 Work for Wireless Cell Phones?

Many people are getting rid of their traditional landwhich creates a challenge for developing a
line phones for a wireless cell phones, which isstandardized system. Even though the FCC has
antiquating the existing 9-1-1 emergency systemcontinually made mandates since the 90's that the
in the USA.system should exist they never have mandated
There is nothing worse than thinking the 911how the systems should work so the results is
emergency system is universal and workingthere is no national standard 911 system.
everywhere and standing over someone who justTo be fair it is a daunting task to come up with a
had a life threatening accident and you cannotstandrdized 911 emergency system that will work
reach the appropriate dispatch using your Wirelessin all cases as technologies change and improve.
Cellular Phone. Without adequate help the personIn the 90's the technology just was not there to
might die when if there was a working andmake it work when the FCC (Federal
updated 911 system, help could be just minutesCommunications Commission) first started making
away.mandates. But the technology now exists to
Many times the 911 caller is under stress and ismake it work but no one technology works in all
yelling into the wireless cellular phone and wantssituations. Each system needs to be made up of
the person at the other end to provide some helpseveral unique systems that interact and decide
immediately but is too stressed out to answerwhich system will work best under what situation.
some basic questions describing their location. ThisThis level of complexity can be too pricy for any
is not only wasting precious time that the 911local area to take on and continually keep updated
attendant could be helping the 911 caller but alsoas the technology changes. This is why this
wasting valuable travel time for the necessarydecision making should be done at a central or
emergency respondents. 'I think I am at a certainregional processing station that decides which
location on a 100 mile stretch of highway reallytechnology will work the best to locate the 911
does not cut it in an emergency.' In the originalcaller. This decision making could be a form of
design with land line phones, the phone numbersartificial intelligence where the processing station
were assigned to specific addresses.knows about where the data is coming from and
The problem is that money dictates the quality ofknows that the area is urban or rural area and
any 911 system and the training of the peoplewhich technology would work the best. In the
behind the phone. Rural areas do not have thefuture 911 system might be part of a dedicated
resources available that they might have in urbaninternet that would only be used for emergency
areas. The rural areas should be spending what911 calls and be set up as a high priority
resources that they do have on training personnel.communications system with redundant
Their dispatch receiving equipment could beequipment.
standardize and designed to just receive alreadyIt is my hope that the new President Obama will
processed data from a central location thatmake the 911 system part of his charge to build
receives the data from the internet or wirelessand update the infrastructure in the USA bringing
cellular phone providers. This location data could bethe emergency 911 system into the 21st century
sent by way of the internet for processing whereand creating new jobs in the process. Power for
it is translated into useful location information andthe systems could be tied to solar and wind
then the system sends this already processedpower with battery and/or diesel generator
data to the right local dispatch and connects 911backups. This new standardized system could
caller with this correct local dispatch.then be a model for all emergency equipment
Presently the state or region in which the systemused around the world.
is located dictates how the 911 system works