The CRTC has announced plans to upgrade Canada's increasingly outdated 911 system for the cellphone industry.
Officials have imposed a February, 2010 deadline for the necessary equipment to be installed that can give 911 dispatchers the ability to locate cellular calls in an emergency.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) gave Canadian wireless service providers a one-year deadline to upgrade their 911 services.
“With more than 20 million wireless subscribers in Canada, it is imperative that emergency responders can quickly and accurately locate those who use their cellphones to call 911,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “I am pleased that the industry has come forward with a technical solution, and that there is now nothing standing in the way of the implementation of enhanced 911 features. The safety and security of Canadians will be greatly improved as a result.”
Calls for the immediate improvement and enhancement of 911 related technical and operational standards reached a crescendo recently, following reported instances of accidental death in cases where 911 could not be reached immediately, or in which the caller could not be located.
In the early morning hours of New Year's Day, for example, 18 year old Matthew Armstrong called 911 four times pleading for help. Matthew was lost in the woods south of Williams Lake trying to find his way home. Matthew's frozen body was found hours later.
"Matthew would be alive today if it was not for the mindless and irresponsible squabbling of wireless companies, emergency dispatchers and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission of who should immediately invest the financial resources necessary to upgrade Canada's cellular system. The sole intent of 911 is to render assistance in emergencies. Matthew's death is directly attributable to the failings of an outdated and dangerously deficient 911 system," stated Grand Chief Stewart Phillip in making calls for enhanced services provision.
"While the Union of BC Indian Chiefs supports the CRTC's decision to compel wireless providers and emergency dispatchers to upgrade their equipment by February 2010, we are deeply concerned that the initial focus is to upgrade equipment in cities such as Vancouver," said Grand Chief Phillip. "The UBCIC believes that the most urgent need for upgraded equipment is in the rural communities. If such an upgrade was implemented years ago, Matthew's 911 calls would have saved his life."
Grand Chief Phillip concluded "The UBCIC strongly believes the contributing factors leading to Matthew's death were totally avoidable. It is infuriating and heart-breaking to think, it was petty squabbling over money that ultimately cost Matthew his life."
In an emergency situation where the caller is unable to speak or cannot identify his or her location, the ability to provide emergency responders with more accurate information of the cellphone’s location can make the difference between life and death. Current 911 services rely on the position of the cellphone tower nearest to the caller. As such, emergency responders are only able to determine if a caller is in a sector within the area served by the tower, and not a specific area or location.
The enhanced features that will be implemented over the next 12 months represent a significant improvement to current wireless E911 services. Using wireless-location technology such as Global Positioning System or triangulation technology, emergency responders will be able to receive a caller’s location generally within a radius of 10 to 300 metres.
Although the CRTC has given the wireless industry a one-year deadline to put the enhanced 911 features into operation, they will be available in some markets much sooner. The Commission encourages wireless service providers to offer the enhanced 911 features as soon as possible.
Wireless service providers must inform their customers of the availability, characteristics and limitations of their enhanced 911 services before they are implemented, and reiterate them on an annual basis thereafter.
In addition, any new wireless service provider entering the Canadian market after February 1, 2010, will be required to support the enhanced 911 features from the moment it launches.
Information on wireless 911 services
Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2009-40
The CRTC is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.