TEXTING TO 911:AN INTERIM SOLUTION

AAND ONE-DAY WORKSHOP

JULY 8, 2014

LEAH MISSILDINE

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, AL 911 BOARD

HISTORY

• January 2012 – Emergency Access Advisory Committee’s subcommittee to recommend pre-

NG911 interim text-to-911 solution

• March 2012 – EAAC’s resolution to support SMS as an interim solution for text-to-911

• December 2012 – Carrier/NENA/APCO Commitment

• March 2013 – Native SMS Text-to-911 Requirements and Architecture Specifications released

• June 2013 – Bounce Back Message for major carriers

• September 2013 – Bounce Back Message for all carriers/text providers

• 2014 – A number of policy statements, letters, and rules proposals to work towards text-to-911

availability and delivery

WHAT INTERIM SMS TEXT-TO-911 IS(AND WHAT IT IS NOT)

• Short Message Service (SMS) is the most commonly used texting technology

• SMS is “carrier native”

• Next Generation 911 services are not fully developed or widely deployed

WHY 911 AGENCIES SHOULD CONSIDER ADOPTING AN INTERIM TEXT-TO-911 SOLUTION

• Direct access to 911 call centers

• Federal objectives and national initiatives

• Compliance

• Consumer expectations

CONSIDERATIONS

• Technology

• Jurisdictional

• Liability

• Financial

• Operational

TECHNOLOGY CONSIDERATIONS

• Which option of the interim solutions available is best for my PSAP?

• Understand difference in recording capabilities

• Understand differences in transfer of information

• Location accuracy

JURISDICTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Are surrounding jurisdictions accepting text-to-911?

• Is another PSAP willing to accept all texts for my particular region?

• Is my PSAP meeting the needs for access to 911 in my community?

LIABILITY CONSIDERATIONS

• If the capability exists, but the PSAP chooses not to accept – is the PSAP liable

if something goes wrong, but text-to-911 could have helped?

• If the capability exists, and the PSAP chooses to accept text-to-911 – is the

PSAP liable if something goes wrong with the solution that they chose?

*While it is not the case now, it is believed by most stakeholder groups that PSAPs accepting

text-to-911 will become a requirement or be mandated.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Are there fees associated with text-to-911 from the provider?

• Will my PSAP have to purchase equipment or software to receive text-to-

911 ?

OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Training

• Canned Messages

• SOP

WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE

• NG911 Interface

• Web Portal

• TTY/TDD

NG911 INTERFACE

• Requires IP connectivity between provider and PSAP

• Requires PSAP NG911 readiness

• Requires NG911 capable equipment

WEB PORTAL

• A third party is the gateway provider

• Requires internet service and a browser-equipped workstation

• Some providers may be able to integrate the web portal into existing PSAP

equipment

TTY/TDD

• Routes text calls in existing systems through legacy selective routers and

presents to the workstation as a TTY/TDD call on 911 trunks

• No change to existing PSAP equipment and very little change to PSAP

operations

• Equipment detects the call for the call-taker and allows them to converse with

the SMS caller

• Falls within existing legacy 911 standards

LIMITATIONS

NG911 INTERFACE

• Providers, PSAPs, and Next

Generation architecture is simply not

fully developed, adopted, and

deployed yet

WEB PORTAL

• Requires third-party operator

• Internet connectivity dictates

availability of service

• Affects existing PSAP operations

• May require additional equipment

(i.e. monitor)

TTY/TDD• One-way transmissions; no interruptions

• No audio transmission during text

transmission

• Transmits only about 5 characters per

second

• Only one case for letters

• Limited set of characters

• Limited display area on user devices

• Telephone network tones disturb

reception

• Risk for corruption or loss of characters

• Requires strict turn-taking conventions

with user created text based tokens

• Spurious characters can appear from

ambient sound

HOW TO PROCEED

• Requesting Text-to-911

• Request for Service Letter

• PSAP Readiness Questionnaire

• Carrier Points of Contact

DOES IT WORK?

• Field Testing and Trialing

• Need to demonstrate the functionality of SMS text-to-911 solution chosen

• Guidelines for each of the solutions (CSRIC’s Final Report, pages 12-13)

• Practice and Training

PUBLIC EDUCATION

• NENA’s message – “911: Call if you can, text if you can’t.”

• Educate the public to begin by telling 911 the location as well as the nature

of the emergency

• Links

• NENA

• APCO

• FCC

• DOT, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National 9-1-1 Office

RESOURCES

• NENA’s SMS Text-to-911 Resources for PSAPs & 911 Authorities

• Ad Hoc National SMS Text-to-911 Service Coordination Group’s Interim

SMS Text-to-911 Information and Planning Guide

• Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council’s Final

Report-PSAP Requests for Service for Interim SMS Text-to-911

• Full Department of Justice Letter to FCC

• FCC’s Text-to-911 Efforts

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Leah Missildine

• leah@al911board.com

• 334-440-7911