Sprint PCS told FCC differences with BellSouth over responsibilit...
Sprint PCS told FCC differences with BellSouth over responsibility for costs to upgrade databases needed for Enhanced 911 Phase 2 rollouts had been resolved. FCC Wireless Bureau weighed in last week on dispute between LECs and carriers over responsibility…
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for costs of changing automatic location information (ALI) databases used by public safety answering points (PSAPs) to locate 911 callers (CD Nov 4 p5). Sprint said hurdles to Phase 2 testing and implementation, and particular issues in deployment of Spartanburg-Greenville, S.C., markets, appeared to have been resolved. Sprint said that in informal e-mail and phone exchanges, BellSouth indicated it would allow Sprint to provide Phase 2 service under interconnection provisions of general subscribers services tariff. Sprint told FCC its understanding was that BellSouth didn’t plan to require new contracts with wireless carriers for ALI upgrades. “Although BellSouth may file revised tariffs to address the responsibility of PSAPs for ALI costs, Sprint understands that BellSouth does not intend to delay implementation of Phase 2 services while these tariffs are being prepared,” filing said. Before Wireless Bureau’s letter laying out FCC position, BellSouth had argued that Commission precedent supported recovering certain network upgrade costs for E911 Phase 2 from carriers. But Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless had contended that FCC precedent indicated costs associated with such upgrades were purview of PSAPs. Bureau stipulated that in absence of agreement to contrary, ALI database upgrade costs lay with public safety entities, not wireless carriers.