[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 14, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3708-S3709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BURNS (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Dorgan, and Mr. 
        Wyden):
  S. 800. A bill to promote and enhance public safety through the use 
of 9-1-1 as the universal emergency assistance number, further 
deployment of wireless 9-1-1 service, support of States in upgrading 9-
1-1 capabilities and related functions, encouragement of construction 
and operation of seamless, ubiquitous, and reliable networks for 
personal wireless services, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


                           E-911 Act of 1999

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am here today to talk about some good 
news for a change. I want to introduce the ``E-911 Act of 1999.'' The 
purpose of this legislation is to improve 911. By linking some of the 
amazing innovations in wireless technology to 911 and medical and 
emergency response professionals we bring our 911 systems into the 21st 
century.
  All kinds of technologies exist today that can greatly reduce 
response time to emergencies and help victims get the right kind of 
medical attention quickly. But right now these technologies are not 
connected in ways that can be used for emergencies. That's why this 
effort to upgrade our 911 systems across the nation is so important and 
necessary.
  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted 
studies showing that crash-to-care time for fatal accidents is about a 
half hour in urban areas. In rural areas, which covers most of my home 
state of Montana, that crash-to-care time almost doubles. On average, 
it takes just shy of an hour to get emergency attention to crash 
victims in rural areas. Almost half of the serious crash victims who do 
not receive care in that first hour die at the scene of the accident. 
That's a scary statistic.
  In 1997 there were 37,280 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United 
States--41,967 people died as a result. Of that number, 2,098 were 
children. Now obviously there is no piece of legislation that can 
instantly prevent these kinds of tragedies. But there are definitely 
things we can do to help reduce them. Upgrading our 911 response 
systems, which this legislation promotes, is a solid step toward 
preventing many horrible tragedies.
  Drew Dawson, who is the director of the Montana Emergency Medical 
Services Bureau and the president of the National Association of State 
Emergency Medical Services Directors, strongly supports the Wireless 
Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999. He tells me that the bill 
will help bring better wireless 911 coverage to Montana and will 
enhance our statewide Trauma Care System. Mr. Dawson believes this 
legislation will help him and his emergency folks do their jobs better, 
which means it will help them save more lives than they already do.

  I have to say a word about all of the good work that folks like Drew 
Dawson in Montana and other emergency professionals do all over the 
country. The United States has the most skilled and dedicated group of 
medical and emergency professionals in the world. We need to give them 
better tools. There is technology out there that can help these 
professionals and that can help all of us citizens, if, God forbid, we 
ever find ourselves in an emergency situation needing this kind of 
help. The E-911 Act of 1999 will help all of us and will make our 
emergency services even better than they are today.
  Mr. President, Let me take a moment to summarize the important 
sections of this bill.
  It makes Congressional findings and specifies the purpose of the Act. 
The purpose of the Act is ``to encourage and facilitate the prompt 
deployment throughout the United States of a seamless, ubiquitous, and 
reliable end-to-end infrastructure for communications, including 
wireless communications, to meet the Nation's public safety and other 
communications needs.''
  It assigns to the Federal Communications Commission, and any agency 
or entity to which it has delegated authority under Section 251 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, the duty to designate the number 911 as the 
universal emergency telephone number within the United States for 
reporting an emergency to appropriate authorities and requesting 
assistance. The universal number would apply both to wireless and 
wireline telephone service. The Commission, and any agency or entity, 
must establish appropriate periods for geographic areas in which 911 is 
not in use as an emergency telephone number to transition to the use of 
911.
  It establishes a principle of parity between the wireless and 
wireline telecommunications industries in protection from liability 
for: (1) the provision of telephone services, including 911 and 
emergency warning service, and (2) the use of 911 and emergency warning 
service. The bill provides for wireless providers of telephone service 
to receive at least as much protection under Federal, State or local 
law from liability as local exchange companies receive in providing 
telephone services. States cannot impose procedural barriers, such as 
requiring wireless providers to file tariffs, as a condition for 
wireless providers to receive the substantive protection from liability 
for which the legislation provides. The bill also provides for users of 
wireless 911 service to receive at least as much protection from 
liability under Federal, State or local law as users of wireline 911 
service receive.

  It amends Section 222 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
222) to provide appropriate privacy protection for call location 
information concerning the user of a commercial mobile service, 
including such information provided by an automatic crash notification 
system. The provision authorizes disclosure of such information to 
emergency dispatch providers and emergency service personnel in order 
to respond to the user's call for emergency services. The provision 
also is intended to allow disclosure of such information to the next-
of-kin or legal guardian of a person as necessary in connection with 
the furnishing of medical care to such person as a result of an 
emergency. Finally, the customer of a commercial mobile radio service 
may grant broader authority (for example, in the customer's written 
subscription agreement with the service provider) for the use of, 
disclosure of, or access to call location information concerning users 
of the customer's commercial mobile service communications instrument 
(e.g., the customer's wireless telephone), but the customer must grant 
such authority expressly and in advance of such use, disclosure or 
access.
  It provides definitions for terms used in the legislation.
  That is the long version of what this bill is about. The short 
version is: it's about saving lives. Mr. President, I hope all of my 
colleagues will join me and help pass this important legislation.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I am pleased to cosponsor and 
support the E-911 Act of 1999, which has been introduced by Senator 
Burns. I commend Senator Burns for his outstanding work on this 
legislation which will help build a national wireless communications 
system and save lives.
  Mr. President, I want to make sure that Americans everywhere can dial 
9-1-1 to summon prompt assistance in an emergency. When a person is 
seriously injured, every second counts. In fact, medical trauma and 
public safety professionals speak of a ``golden hour''--the first hour 
after serious injury when the greatest percentage of lives can be 
saved. The sooner that the seriously injured get medical help, the 
greater the chance of survival. And prompt notification to the 
authorities is the first critical step in getting medical assistance to 
the injured.
  I believe that injured Americans should be able to get emergency 
medical assistance as quickly as possible.

[[Page S3709]]

Over 60 million Americans carry wireless telephones. Some of these 
people own them specifically for safety reasons, in order to summon 
help in an emergency. Others would be willing to use their phones to 
report emergencies to the authorities.
  But in many parts of the country when a person who is seriously 
injured--or a frantic bystander--calls 9-1-1 on their wireless 
telephone, nothing happens. Although many Americans think that 9-1-1 is 
already a national emergency number everywhere, it isn't. There are 
many places in America where 9-1-1 isn't the right number to call for 
help. The rule in America ought to be uniform and simple--if you have 
an emergency wherever you are, dial 9-1-1. This bill reduces the danger 
of not knowing what number to call, by making 9-1-1 the universal 
emergency telephone number.
  Mr. President, I also believe that we also need to tie our citizens 
through their wireless telephones to emergency medical centers, police 
and firefighters so that they can get lifesaving assistance even when 
they are too injured to make a 9-1-1 call, or can make the call but 
cannot give their location. This bill supports the upgrading of 9-1-1 
systems so that they can deliver more information, like location and 
automatic crash information data which will better enable emergency 
services to reach those incapacitated by injury. This legislation also 
promotes the expansion of the areas covered by wireless telephone 
service, so that more people can use wireless phones in an emergency. 
Because if a wireless telephone isn't within range of a wireless tower, 
a wireless call can't go through.
  Mr. President, I would like to see an America where more people in 
more places can call 9-1-1 and quickly get the right help in 
emergencies. This legislation will help reduce medical response time 
for millions of Americans, by helping to make sure that people can use 
their wireless phones to call 9-1-1 immediately and get the ambulances 
rolling
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Commerce 
Committee on this important life-saving legislation, and I urge all my 
colleagues to support it.
                                 ______