Technology Transitions: Consumers Matter Most

I am circulating to my fellow Commissioners two items that take up the task of encouraging technology transitions while protecting those core values. Tremendous benefits can be realized by the transition of public safety to IP-based networks.

For example, IP-based networks will enable 911 call centers to receive a greater range of information -- such as text, video, and data from vehicle crash sensors -- to better support emergency response. But the introduction of new technologies has also introduced new vulnerabilities that cannot be ignored. We have seen a spike in so-called “sunny day” outages, when failure comes from the failure of software or databases and not from natural disasters. As the Public Safety Bureau reported to the Commission earlier this month, a “sunny day” outage this past April left consumers in 7 states without 911 service for up to 6 hours. Some 6,600 911 calls were not completed during that time. This is simply unacceptable.