NCJ Number
63015
Date Published
1971
Length
3 pages
Annotation
CLARIFICATION IS REQUESTED FROM THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) REGARDING A POSSIBLE RULE VIOLATION IN PROCEDURES FOR THE PROVISION OF A UNIVERSAL '911' EMERGENCY NUMBER.
Abstract
RECENTLY ADOPTED RULES OF THE FCC PROHIBIT TELEPHONE COMPANIES FROM 'DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. . .FURNISHING DATA PROCESSING SERVICE TO OTHERS...' PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED FOR THE USE OF A NATIONAL '911' EMERGENCY NUMBER MIGHT BE CONSTRUED AS A VIOLATION OF THIS RULE. THE AUTOMATIC LOCATION IDENTIFICATION (ALI) SYSTEM IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE A NECESSARY ADJUNCT TO SUCCESSFUL 911 OPERATION. WITH ALI, THE CALL ARRIVING AT THE EMERGENCY OPERATING CENTER WOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ALPHANUMERIC DISPLAY, A PRINT-OUT OF THE ADDRESS OF THE CALL'S ORIGIN, OR BOTH. UNDER AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH, WHICH APPEARS TO BE COMPLEMENTARY RATHER THAN DUPLICATIVE, (SELECTIVE CALL ROUTING), CALLS WOULD BE CHANNELED TO THE APPROPRIATE JURISDICTION'S EMERGENCY OPERATING CENTER. A VARIANT OF THE ALI SYSTEM WOULD BE TRANSMISSION OF THE CALLING NUMBER TO THE EMERGENCY OPERATING CENTER, WHERE IT WOULD BE MATCHED IN A COMPUTER WHOSE DATA BASE WOULD BE FED CONTINUOUSLY OR IN BATCHES BY THE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SERVICES COMPUTER. WHILE IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED PROCESES CONSTITUTE DATA PROCESSING UNDER THE MEANING OF RELEVANT SECTON 64.702(A), SUCH A RULING BY THE FCC IS NEEDED. (RCB)