Minutes of the Wireless Work Group

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Minutes of the Wireless Work Group

 

 

The Wireless Work Group, a subcommittee of the E911 Advisory Committee, held its first meeting Friday, December 13, 1996 at the Washington Military Department, E911 Office in Lacey.

 

Present: Marlys Davis, King County; David Van Ness, AirTouch; Ross Baker, AT&T Wireless; State E911 Office: Allen Jakobitz, Penelope Christopherson, Ken Back, Talia Langley, Bob Oenning; Joe Blaschka, AdComm; David Griffith, UTC; and Jim Quackenbush, Thurston County.

 

Absent: Thera Bradshaw, Clark County; Doug Gehrke, US West; Al Kear, GTE; Hank Cramer, State E911 Office.

 

Others identified to be invited to sit in on the Wireless Work Group: Terry Vann or a member of WITA; PCS representation from GTE Mobile Net, Sprint Spectrum and Western Wireless; legislative staff from the Senate (Phil Moeller) and House (Margaret Allen).

 

The next meeting is scheduled at the King County 911 Office location, 7300 Perimeter Road, South, Seattle on Tuesday, January 28, 1997 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

 

Marlys Davis, King County, volunteered to chair the Wireless Work Group. It was agreed that the work group would meet monthly, at least initially.

 

The following mission statement was developed:

 

To develop a coordinated approach to implementing and operating wireless 911 interface in Washington State. This includes evaluating wireless 911 public education, technology, legal and liability issues, financing options, legislation and regulation, and national wireless issues and trends and making appropriate recommendations.

 

The Wireless Work Group then broke out the various components of each general area for future deliberation.

 

Public Education

  • Educate our membership through a newsletter on a regular basis
  • Develop a wireless brochure to speak to the ANI issue
  • Get telco commitment to educate consumers on 911 capabilities
  • Identify and locate wireless providers in Washington

 

 

Technology

  • Mapping
  • Upgrades needed to pass ALI: telco; 911/PSAP; wireless; database
  • Non-service initialized unit
  • Mobile ALI/tracking ability
  • Transfer calls between counties

 

Financial

  • Non-service initialized unit
  • 911 excise tax rate
  • Service/provider parity
  • Can counties recoup profits for investing in network?

 

Legislation/Regulation

  • 911 excise tax authority (federal, state, local)
  • Requirements to track tax separately (land line and wireless)
  • Universal service
  • Service/provider parity

 

Legal/Liability

  • Non-service initialized unit
  • Immunity
  • County liability when location technology is available but not implemented
  • Enforcement of non-compliance with law

 

Assignment

The Work Group will write a background paper detailing the ANI issue as it stands today in Washington. Jim Quackenbush will write from the county perspective; Joe Blaschka write up a Snohomish County update; Ross Baker will supply AT&T statistics, and Doug Gehrke will be asked to provide the US West perspective.

 

This input will be forwarded to Penelope Christopherson by the third week of January for the Tuesday, January 28th meeting. It may be e-mailed to [email protected] or mailed to Washington Military Department, Emergency Management, PO Box 40955, Olympia WA 98504-0955.