Interesting information

[Guest guest]

Representatives from my department (including communications personnel from five

of our 24 Comm Centers) met yesterday with representatives of the following

organizations:

Nextel

Motorola

Nokia

PacBell Wireless

Sprint PCS

AT & T Wireless

California rs Association

California State Automobile Association

Dep't of General Service (State of CA)

Emergency Medical Services Authority (State of CA)

Office of Employee Relations (CHP)

Telecom Section (CHP)

Information Management Division (CHP)

They met for a workshop conducted to discuss issues associated with

unintentional wireless 9-1-1 calls received by our department. (We get all

wireless 9-1-1 calls in CA.)

In 1999, we received over 4.6 million wireless 9-1-1 calls. (That's all 24 CHP

Comm Centers... not just mine!) <grin>

Of these calls, it is estimated that 35 to 60 percent of wireless 9-1-1 calls

were unintentionally initiated. With an estimated cell phone subscription

growth of 30% per year, the number of unintentionally initiated wireless 9-1-1

calls is expected to escalate proportionately. (Note: SUBSCRIBED calls; who

knows how many people just buy the phone and never get actual service other than

for 9-1-1!)

These wireless 9-1-1 calls are normally initiated by the unintentional

depression of a preprogrammed button on the cellular telephone. To alleviate

this problem, CHP representatives requested that the cellular industry remove

dedicated 9-1-1 keys on future cellular telephone designs and to modify cellular

telephone programming to disable this feature on present generation cellular

telephones.

Nextel representatives indicated they would be able to remove this feature from

several cellular telephone models within the fourth quarter of calendar year

2000, and could eventually remove the feature from all their cellular telephone

models within the 2001 calendar year. Motorola and AT & T agreed to evaluate the

request.

In addition to evaluation and/or implementing cellular telephone design and

programming changes, each cellular telephone and service provider agreed to

expand their public education effort on the proper usage of cellular telephones

and 9-1-1 service.

Another problem of discussion related to the CHP's need to expeditiously obtain

home address information of cellular subscribers during emergency situations.

Some cellular telephone service providers provide this information readily.

Others expressed concern about releasing their subscriber's personal

information. However, they stated they would work with their staff to determine

if legal authorization exists to permit the release of home address information.

A follow-up meeting will be scheduled within the next 30 days to discuss

research findings and explore additional proposals to mitigate the problem on

unintentional wireless 9-1-1 calls.

This is NOT a press release, by the way. <wry expression> It's just pretty

interesting - and the fact that there WAS such a meeting, that " promises " were

made, and there will be more meetings of this same group, well... I'm heartened.

Happy to be here, proud to serve.