FCC Cut Study Finding 911 Flaws

FCC CUT STUDY FINDING 911 FLAWS
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Satellite-based emergency 911 technology often can't pinpoint the location of cellphone users dialing 911 from homes, offices, sports arenas and other indoor locations, a never-released report commissioned by the Federal Communications Commission concluded last year. More than 60% of wireless usage now takes place inside buildings. The report's author, Dale Hatfield, found that the rush to embrace wireless has only exacerbated the problem with the 911 service designed for mobile phones. So what happened? Hatfield's report says the public never heard about his concerns because the FCC decided to terminate the study a few days later. His report, details of which were presented to FCC staff, was never finished or released. He never presented the report directly to Chairman Kevin Martin or the other commissioners. "(The study) was terminated," says Hatfield, who performed the work on contract. He had formerly been the FCC's chief technologist. He is currently chairman of the Commerce Department's Spectrum Management Advisory Committee. Hatfield says the unpublished report was supposed to be a follow-up to a 2003 report he did for the agency on the same subject.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070314/1b_wireless14.art.ht...