Maine Seeks FCC Help on NG-911 Technical Issue
Maine requested FCC help on issues related to texting to 911 via IP. The state, calling itself an early adopter of texting to 911 via teletypewriter, deployed what it described as an "end-to-end" next-generation 911 system, and began working with…
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carriers and their text control centers (TCC) on moving from 911 via TTY to 911 to text by message session relay protocol. A center responded to the state's request with multiprotocol label switching pricing including "a one-time project charge, monthly recurring charges for a three-year contract period, and recurring monthly costs for dedicated MPLS circuits (price to be determined), all to be paid for by the State of Maine," Emergency Services Communication Bureau Director Maria Jacques wrote the federal commission on Maine Public Utilities Commission letterhead. When Maine sought an alternative to the MPLS plan, asking to use a virtual private network, the TCC proposed monthly "recurring monitoring charges to help compensate for what the company views as a less than reliable service because it traverses the Internet," Jacques said in a filing posted Thursday to docket 10-255. "A different TCC, responding on the behalf of other wireless carriers, expressed a preference for connecting via VPN as opposed to MPLS circuits and thus far has not requested any compensation for the use of VPN. Clearly, there is disagreement." The state official asked in the letter to FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson for clarification on "where the point of demarcation is between wireless providers and Maine's NG911 network in order to appropriately assess costs." A CTIA spokeswoman declined to comment Friday.