The assumption is that when you call 911, the person on the other end of the line will automatically be able to tell where you are so they can dispatch help if you can't share your location. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case when it comes to cell phones, and new data from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission highlights the problem.
The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by public interest group Find Me 911, reveals that nine out of 10 wireless 911 calls made in D.C. in the first half of 2013 were delivered without the accurate location information needed to find callers who were unable to share their location. In fact, just over 10 percent of the wireless calls made to the District's 911 call center from December 2012 to July 2013 included latitude-longitude data. The remaining calls showed only the nearest cell tower.
"These results reveal an alarming public safety crisis," Jamie Barnett, former chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and director of the Find Me 911 Coalition, said in a statement. "When nine in 10 emergency callers in our nation's capital cannot be located on wireless phones, we know that the requirements for location accuracy must be updated immediately."
Breaking it down by carrier, Verizon and Sprint most often provided accurate location information. From July to September 2013, 24.6 percent of 911 calls made by Verizon customers in D.C. included this data, as did 23.3 percent of Sprint calls. T-Mobile and AT&T provided this information for just 3.2 percent and 2.6 percent of calls, respectively.
The location technology used by more wireless callers, called A-GPS, depends on a direct line of sight to satellites so it often fails in indoor locations and urban areas, according to Find Me 911.
The FCC has proposed a new rule to address the issue, requiring wireless carriers to provide accurate location data for indoor calls within two years. The FCC estimates that the rule could save 10,000 lives a year through faster response times.
Existing rules were written in 1996. Though they were updated in 2010, they only required wireless providers to meet accuracy standards related to calls placed outdoors. In the last four years, however, cell phone use has exploded and a large number of 911 calls are being placed via cell phones from inside homes and buildings.
A number of public safety and health organizations have supported the proposal, including the National Association of EMTs, American College of Emergency Physicians, and National Public Safety Telecommunications Council.
"The FCC has put forward an outstanding proposed rule," Barnett said. "Public safety leaders should continue to stand firm with their members in support of that rule and not be swayed by carrier rhetoric and empty promises of some future solution."
The responsibility does not lie solely with the carriers, though. In discussing the issue in February, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler stressed that "it takes two to tango." Wireless providers can install the most up-to-date technology, but 911 centers - or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) - must also do their part.