FCC Chairman Ajit Pai released his proposal that would help first responders locate people who call 911 from wireless phones in multi-story buildings.
Specifically, it would establish a vertical (or “z-axis”) location accuracy metric of three meters for 80% of indoor wireless 911 calls. The FCC will vote on this proposal at its next meeting on November 19, 2019.
“If you call 911 for help, emergency responders need to know where to find you,” said Chairman Pai. “But that can be a challenge if you make a wireless 911 call from a multi-story building, like many apartments and offices. Even if first responders know which building you’re in—that is, your horizontal location—they may still need your vertical location to determine which floor you’re on. Next month, the Commission will address this public safety gap. If adopted, this new rule would help first responders locate emergency callers more quickly and accurately, which will save lives. Establishing a z-axis metric of three meters is a major step forward, and I’m grateful for the broad support it’s received from the public safety community, including our nation’s firefighters.”
