Anna Eshoo: “the amendment that Mr. Shimkus and I are offering will provide $5 million for the National Telecommunications and…”

“the amendment that Mr. Shimkus and I are offering will provide $5 million for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with the intent of allowing them to issue grants to upgrade Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), otherwise known as 9-1-1 call centers. Call centers across our country today need to enhance their 9-1-1 technology in order to actually locate where a mobile phone caller in crisis is. Annually, over 200 million 9-1-1 calls are made, and increasingly those calls are made from mobile phones. According to CTIA, the wireless industry association, more than 10 percent of households now rely on wireless phones as their only telephone service. No wonder it's surprising to many Americans to learn that a 9-1-1 call center may not have enhanced technology to trace an emergency call from a mobile phone in order to dispatch help to exactly where it is needed. Imagine calling 9-1-1 from your mobile phone at the scene of a car accident or a crime and being told the operator has no idea where you are. Millions of Americans face this risk every day. While coverage in many areas is improving, there are significant gaps in the public safety system, particularly in small, rural, and poor communities where federal assistance could be most meaningful. In 26 states, more than 20 percent of counties have not deployed the latest 9-1-1 technology. In 15 states, well over half the counties haven't deployed this technology.”