FCC Moves To Push for Better Cell E911

Saying current standards for cellular E911 are not enough, the Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to push for better accuracy in pinpointing a cellular user's location.

Current standards only call for systems to be able to pinpoint a caller's location to within 300 meters for 95 percent of all calls, and within 100 meters for two-thirds of them. Under the new proposal, those distances are halved.

Additionally, carriers no longer could let poor areas of service within a state be cancelled out by better-served areas.

"Quite simply, providing location accuracy information on a multi-state or state-wide basis is not enough," Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement. "It does not provide public safety with the information it needs to do its job effectively."

With the new proposal, the compliance is judged by calls within a local 911 center's service area. In a public meeting, the FCC said it must consult with the industry as well as first responders before issuing its new standards.

"I am pleased that today's item raises a series of pressing and important questions about the Commission's current E911 location accuracy standards," Comissioner Michael Copps said.