The Me. PUC proposed an overhaul of the state’s E-911 system that...

state legislature, intends reducing 911 answering points to 24 from 48 by July 2006. The largest reductions would occur in Cumberland and York Counties in southern Me. where up to 2/3 of current local centers could be eliminated. The proposed rules, which will be the subject of hearings in early March, would require municipalities to develop their own plans for 911 answering consolidation and file them by July. Some local police and fire officials say they fear that moving to regional answering/dispatching centers will increase emergency response times and increase opportunities for errors. They also question whether the promised $1 million in annual savings in 911 telephone charges and additional savings from combining operations will actually materialize. Meanwhile, the PUC approved a Verizon tariff amendment that allows Verizon to reduce the bill credit to customers for federal high-cost support on their lines. The PUC said the credit reduction must be in proportion to the expected reduction in federal universal service high- cost subsidies for Verizon in 2005.