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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fiftieth Legislature – First Regular Session

HOUSE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON ARIZONA'S 911 WIRELESS SYSTEM

Minutes of Interim Meeting

Thursday, November 17, 2011

House Hearing Room 4 -- 2:00 p.m.

Chairman Robson called the meeting to order at 2:02 p.m. and attendance was noted by the secretary.

Members Present

Mr. Dial                                                                                   Mr. Robson, Chairman

Mr. Gallego

Members Absent

None

Explanation of Committee’s Purpose

Sarah Wharton, Majority Research Analyst, Employment and Regulatory Affairs Committee, explained that the purpose of the Committee is to examine and hold hearings regarding:

• The necessity of and requirements for maintaining and upgrading the current 9-1-1 wireless system.
• Available funding mechanisms to cover maintenance and upgrades of the current 9-1-1 system.
• Cost estimates for maintaining and upgrading the current 9-1-1 system.
• Potential infrastructure and technology issues.

She added that the Committee is required to submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before December 31, 2011 with the Committee’s recommendations, if any, regarding Arizona’s 9-1-1 wireless services. 

Opening Remarks

Chairman Robson welcomed the Members.  He stated that he became aware of this issue while working on other legislation.  After reading a report on the 9-1-1 system and some discussions, he perceived that the Legislature and the public need to understand the issue better, which is why he asked Speaker Andy Tobin to establish the Committee.

Presentation

Liz Graeber, 9-1-1 Administrator, Maricopa Region, City of Phoenix, gave a slide presentation about Maricopa Region 9-1-1 (Attachment 1).  She indicated that the Maricopa Region has
25 9-1-1 centers that processed 2.7 million calls in 2010.  The 9-1-1 phone system is made up of intelligent workstations in a PC environment designed to handle 9-1-1 calls and a mapping system.  The average lifespan of a workstation is five years, so efforts are made to be proactive and change systems out before a failure occurs.  She provided a snapshot of aging equipment in the Maricopa Region and outlined 9-1-1 needs:

• The Reverse 9-1-1 system in the Maricopa Region allows 9-1-1 centers to notify citizens during times of disaster.  It is funded by annual Homeland Security grants; there is no permanent funding source. 
• The Phoenix Fire Department handles dispatching for 22 fire agencies in the east and west valley at one dispatch center, but there is no backup system.    

Ms. Graeber explained that Phase I is the ability to obtain the phone number of a cell phone caller.  Phase II is the ability to obtain the phone number and location of a cell phone caller, which generally occurs through a global positioning system (GPS) chip in the phone.  The
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that every cell phone manufactured after 2001 must have a GPS chip that cannot be turned off for 9-1-1.  She reviewed a map showing the status of wireless 9-1-1 systems by county (Attachment 2):

• Cochise, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yavapai counties have Phase II capability.
• Gila, Greenlee and Yuma counties have Phase I capability.

In response to a question, she noted that data from Yuma indicates that of the total number of
9-1-1 calls taken in 2010, 78 percent were wireless so the operator had no idea where the caller was located.

• La Paz County receives voice only and no telephone number so the operator can only listen for noises in the background.

Mr. Gallego asked about the process of prioritizing implementation of Phases I and II, noting that tourist areas, such as the Grand Canyon where people visit from out of state with cell phones, are not covered.  Ms. Graeber responded that Pima County was the first test market because it was busy, but not as busy as Maricopa County. The criteria for going to
Phase II is preparedness by the community, which means the county must have geographic information system (GIS) mapping information so the operator can see where the caller is located: 

• Gila, Greenlee and Yuma counties have GIS information and are ready to implement Phase II. 
• Apache, Coconino, LaPaz, and Navajo counties have been working on obtaining GIS information, but currently do not have the capability for Phase II.

Chairman Robson asked if sheriff’s departments are responsible for wireless 9-1-1 systems. 
Ms. Graeber answered that generally someone from the county has the responsibility, except in Maricopa County. 

Chairman Robson remarked that he was watching Channel 15 a few weeks ago and a program gave the impression that if someone calls 9-1-1 from a cell phone, they will be located in an instant, which is not necessarily the case in certain parts of the state.

Mr. Dial questioned how long the technology has been available for Phases I and II, and whether there is a federal mandate to implement wireless 9-1-1 systems nationwide.  Ms. Graeber answered that in Arizona, Pima County obtained Phase II capability in the spring of 2004, followed by Maricopa County in the fall of 2004.  The federal mandate portion only applies to wireless carriers; once an agency notifies the wireless carrier that it is ready to deploy Phase II, the wireless carrier has a specific amount of time to retrofit towers, conduct testing and implement the system.  She provided the following information: 

• Coconino County received 55,729 9-1-1 calls in 2010; 82 percent were made from cell phones since it is a high tourist area, with no location information. 
• LaPaz and Navajo counties are on an isolated 9-1-1 system and cannot transfer to other agencies. 
• Gila County is unusual because the centers are in two different phone company service areas, so double trunking is necessary to tie together the Payson and Globe areas. 
• The Navajo Nation is unable to have enhanced wireless 9-1-1, which means the voice path goes to the operator, but there is no address information.

Ms. Graeber indicated that in addition to Maricopa County’s aging equipment, equipment all over the state needs to be replaced.  Currently, $15.5 million is collected per year from the 9-1-1 excise tax, which is just enough to meet monthly obligations.  The aging wireline analog system was installed in 1985 when 9-1-1 was started in Arizona.  In order to prepare for the future, an
Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure for digital communications is needed. 

In response to questions about the Reverse 9-1-1 system, Ms. Graeber provided the following information:

• Homeland Security grant funding is renewed annually, but since those funds are being decreased, there is always the worry that funding will not be provided.  Funds were granted for the next fiscal year, but reapplication will be needed after that. 
• Reverse 9-1-1 is currently only used in the Maricopa Region, but Pima and Pinal counties are interested in the system.  The City of Yuma had Reverse 9-1-1 at one time, but it was too costly. 
• There are two different platforms.  The one used most frequently is localized so if an incident occurs, everyone within a predetermined area on the map will be called; the telephone numbers are geocoded with the recorded message from the agency. 
• The Reverse 9-1-1 system is for hard-wire phones, but self-registration for cell phones and voiceover IP was recently implemented.

Chairman Robson said no one ever imagined that the majority of 9-1-1 calls would be made from cell phones.  Ms. Graeber responded that in the 1990s, only one or two cell phone calls were received per day and it was very difficult to find out where the caller was located.  The national average for cell phone calls versus hard-wire is now 70 percent.

In response to questions, Ms. Graeber related that the Arizona State 9-1-1 office has a plan to provide Phase II capability for everyone in which the counties are expected to be prepared with GIS information.  The plan would have been completed in the last two years, but there has been a funding shortfall.  She said the 9-1-1 excise tax in 2001 was 37 cents; currently it is 20 cents.  In order to be able to retrofit, at least the original 37 cents per month is needed.  She will contact the State 9-1-1 office to obtain estimates on implementing Phase II statewide and beginning the digital project on IP.  For only the Maricopa Region, one service provider for IP for the Phoenix Department of Public Safety is $38,000.  She agreed to provide countywide figures to the Members.

Mr. Gallego asked the amount of the funding shortage, which Chairman Robson answered is
$52 million.

Mr. Gallego commended Chairman Robson for bringing up this important issue so that rural areas especially will be protected and first responders will be able to find people who call for help.  He said he will work with Chairman Robson and Senate Members to ensure that a plan is developed to protect current funding and implement Phase II as soon as possible.

Mr. Dial surmised that the public has the expectation that their location is known when 9-1-1 is called in the event of a tragedy or near-death situation.

Chairman Robson stated that he discussed this issue with the Governor’s Office.  It may not be possible to obtain all of the funding that is needed so some phasing in may be necessary.  Agencies need to be given the tools to operate and provide help when someone calls 9-1-1.  Infrastructure is a concern because it is difficult for cities to manage these types of issues.  As to the infusion of dollars from the federal government after September 11, 2001, with respect to operability, those issues still exist in Arizona.  He said he believes this is a paramount issue relative to the welfare and safety of the citizens. 

He indicated that he may ask people in the audience to educate other legislators on this matter in the future.  He added that the Committee will not meet again, but other meetings may be held with stakeholders.  He thanked everyone for attending.

Without objection, the meeting adjourned at 2:37 p.m.

                                                                        _______________________________

                                                                        Linda Taylor, Committee Secretary

                                                                        November 28, 2011

(Original minutes, attachments and audio on file in the Chief Clerk’s Office; video archives available at http://www.azleg.gov)

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HOUSE AHC ON ARIZONA’S

                        911 WIRELESS SYSTEM

2

                        November 17, 2011

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