Existing law, the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act, provides that each local public agency within its respective jurisdiction establish a basic system that automatically connects a person dialing 911 to an established public safety answering point through normal telephone service facilities, or to be part of such a system. The act requires the Office of Emergency Services to develop a plan and timeline of target dates for the testing, implementation and operation of a Next Generation 911 emergency coordination system, that includes a text to 911 service, throughout California.

This bill would require each public safety answering point to deploy a text to 911 service, no later than January 1, 2021, that is capable of accepting Short Message Service (SMS) messages and Real-Time Text (RTT) messages.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 1168

Author:(Mullin)

As Amended Ver:July 2, 2019

Majority vote

SUMMARY:

Requires each public safety answering point (PSAP) to deploy a text to 911 service that enables an individual to text "911" for emergency services that is capable of accepting either Short Message Service (SMS) messages or Real-Time Text (RTT) messages, by January 1, 2021.

The Senate Amendments:

Make minor technical changes.

COMMENTS:

Next Generation 911: California's 911 system was built on an infrastructure of analog, circuit-switched network technology known as PSAPs which are designed mostly to support voice and limited data services. Next Gen 911 is an IP-based two way communications system that will allow digital information, such as voice, photos, videos, and text messages, to flow between 911 callers and PSAPs. SB 1211 (Padilla), Chapter 926, Statute of 2014, required the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) to develop a timeline for the implementation of Next Gen 911. Since then, OES has worked with various stakeholders to develop a Next Gen 911 implementation plan and, depending on funding, projects full implementation of Next Gen 911 by December 2022.

SMS and RTT: SMS and RTT are text messaging systems that use communication protocols to transmit messages over telecommunication devices. SMS are services that send a text message to recipients after a message has been typed and sent, while RTT allows individuals to have text conversations in real time as they are being typed. Most smartphones have SMS functions, however the availability of RTT partly depends on whether carriers make the function available on their networks and phones. In 2018, the National Emergency Number Association provided guidelines that required PSAPs to comply with American with Disabilities Act requirements and outlined a timeline for carriers to implement RTT functionality by June 30, 2021.

According to the Author:

As someone who is hard of hearing, I believe it is critical that we expand the ways people access 911 in an emergency. California companies are creating cutting edge technology on a daily basis and I believe we have the capability to launch Text to 911 statewide by 2021. This technology would be helpful to those who find themselves in situations where it might be too dangerous to dial 911. Scenarios could include domestic abuse situations, accidents that cause inability to speak or active shooter situations.

Arguments in Support:

According to NorCal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, "Currently, access to 911 services is by phone or [teletypewriter]. However, many Deaf people do not have [teletypewriters] in their homes, having moved on to using videophone, smartphone and email technology. As a result, deaf people have been forced to depend on third party relay services to access 911 services for the past decade. Although such technology is available, text to 911 services is available in only a few counties. The passage of AB 1168 would ensure that deaf people in California have direct access to 911 services."

Arguments in Opposition:

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS:

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

VOTES:

ASM COMMUNICATIONS AND CONVEYANCE: 12-0-1

YES: Santiago, Obernolte, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Gipson, Holden, Kamlager-Dove, Low, Patterson, Quirk-Silva, Rodriguez

ABS, ABST OR NV: Cervantes

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 18-0-0

YES: Gonzalez, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Diep, Eggman, Fong, Gabriel, Eduardo Garcia, Maienschein, Obernolte, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Robert Rivas

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-0-6

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Gabriel, Gallagher, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Obernolte, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

ABS, ABST OR NV: Arambula, Burke, Cooley, Friedman, Cristina Garcia, Ting

SENATE FLOOR: 37-0-3

YES: Allen, Atkins, Bates, Beall, Borgeas, Bradford, Caballero, Chang, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Galgiani, Glazer, Lena Gonzalez, Grove, Hertzberg, Hill, Hurtado, Jackson, Jones, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Pan, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener, Wilk

ABS, ABST OR NV: Archuleta, Hueso, Portantino

UPDATED:

VERSION: July 2, 2019

CONSULTANT: Edmond Cheung / C. & C. / (916) 319-2637 FN: 0001401

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 1168

Author: Mullin (D), et al.

Amended: 7/2/19 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE ENERGY, U. & C. COMMITTEE: 13-0, 6/18/19

AYES: Hueso, Moorlach, Bradford, Chang, Dodd, Hertzberg, Hill, McGuire, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Wiener

SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE: 16-0, 6/25/19

AYES: Dodd, Wilk, Allen, Archuleta, Borgeas, Bradford, Chang, Galgiani, Glazer, Hill, Hueso, Jones, Nielsen, Portantino, Rubio, Wiener

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-0, 5/16/19 (Consent) - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Emergency services: text to 911

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires implementation of a text to 911 service that supports Short Message Service (SMS) and Real Time Text (RTT) messages by January 1, 2021.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes California’s 911 telecommunications service, requires every local public agency operating firefighting, police, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services to establish and operate a 911 service, and requires Office of Emergency Services (OES) to coordinate the implementation of 911 systems and support local agencies in the operation and improvement of 911 systems. (Government Code §53100 et. seq./ Warren 911 Emergency Assistance Act)
2. Requires OES to develop a plan and timeline for the testing, implementation and operation of a Next Generation 911 (NG 911) emergency communication system, including text to 911 service, throughout California. (Government Code §53121)

This bill requires each public safety answering point (PSAP) to deploy a text to 911 service that allows an individual to text “911” for emergency services capable of accepting SMS and RTT messages.

Background

The status of Next Gen 911. PSAPs are call centers that route 911 calls to emergency responders, including police, fire, and ambulance services. When a call is routed through a PSAP, it may contain information that can better enable rapid emergency response. When a 911 call is placed from a landline, the address associated with the phone numbers is routed with the call. This information is more readily available for landline calls because landline phones have a fixed location. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls can be placed from any location. Consequently, 911 dispatchers may require additional information to verify the location from which a 911 VoIP call is placed.

The legacy 911 system was originally designed for an analog and wireline telephone network. However, California’s telecommunication landscape has changed dramatically since the establishment of the 911 system, and the use fixed location landlines is steadily declining. According to data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), VoIP subscriptions exceeded wireline subscriptions in 2016. If the rate of VoIP adoption continues, analog phone systems may be completely replaced by digital and IP-based systems by 2030.

While consumers’ telecommunications systems have changed dramatically in recent years, the 911 system has not yet been commensurately updated to reflect those changes. Existing law requires OES to develop and implement an NG 911 system, which will upgrade PSAPs to effectively receive and route calls occurring over an internet protocol and digital network. Under existing law, the NG 911 system must a text to 911 service. OES anticipates implementing NG 911 by the end of 2022, if sufficient funding is authorized. The Legislature is considering several proposals regarding NG 911 this year, including a surcharge that would help fund NG 911 systems, including text to 911. This bill requires text to 911 implementation to include SMS and RTT functionality by January 1, 2021.

Some counties have already implemented text to 911. However, it is unclear whether those counties are facilitating RTT messages. For example, Sacramento County has implemented text to 911, and the county indicates that persons with disabilities can use a text telephone technology (TTY) service to send messages through PSAPs; however, it is not clear if Sacramento’s text to 911 system can facilitate RTT.

What is SMS and RTT? SMS and RTT are both text messaging systems that use communication protocols to transmit messages over telecommunication devices, including wireless phones. When a person uses SMS, the recipient only sees the message after the sender has typed the entire message and sent it. When a person uses an RTT service, the recipient sees the message in real time as it the sender enters characters. While SMS is a widely used instant messaging system that employs traditional communication protocols, RTT allows individuals who have specific speech and hearing challenges to have text conversations in real time as they were placing a call. Smart phones frequently have TTY/RTT functions that callers can enable; however, the availability of RTT partly depends on whether carriers make the function available on their networks and settings for phones.

The FCC has provided guidance on how to implement RTT at PSAPs to support the use of NG 911. In 2016, the FCC adopted rules to facilitate the transition from TTY to RTT as a universal text message system enabling people who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability to communicate over wireless IP networks. In 2018, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) provided guidelines to for PSAPs to comply with requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. These guidelines outline a timeline for carriers to implement RTT functionality. Under this timeline, NENA expects all carriers to implement RTT on phones by June 30, 2021. This bill is generally consistent with efforts at the federal level to ensure that RTT is deployed by end of 2021 to facilitate text to 911 communication for populations that cannot use traditional calling functions.

Related/Prior Legislation

AB 911 (Rodriguez, 2019) requires OES to establish a statewide system that would allow individuals to voluntarily provide health and safety information to first responders in an emergency if a 911 call is placed. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Committee on Judiciary.

AB 1121 (Padilla, Chapter 926, Statutes of 2014) required OES to develop a plan and timeline to test and implement an NG 911 system.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 7/9/19)

American Academy of Pediatrics, California

California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians

California Coalition of Agencies Servicing the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center

Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency

Greater Los Angeles Agency in Deafness, Inc.

NorCal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation

The Arc California

United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration

OPPOSITION: (Verified 7/9/19)

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, “As someone who is hard of hearing, I believe it is critical that we expand the ways people access 9-1-1 in an emergency. California companies are creating cutting edge technology on a daily basis and I believe we have the capability to launch Text to 9-1-1 statewide by 2021. This technology would be helpful to those who find themselves in situations where it might be too dangerous to dial 911. Scenarios could include domestic abuse situations, accidents that cause inability to speak or active shooter situations.”

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-0, 5/16/19

AYES: Aguiar-Curry, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Gabriel, Gallagher, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NO VOTE RECORDED: Arambula, Burke, Cooley, Friedman, Cristina Garcia, Ting

Prepared by: Sarah Smith / E., U., & C. / (916) 651-4107

7/10/19 14:21:43

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

Senator Bill Dodd

Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Bill No: AB Hearing Date: 6/25/2019

SUBJECT:

DIGEST: This bill requires each public safety answering point (PSAP) to deploy a text to 911 service by January 1, 2021, as specified.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. The Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act requires each local public agency within its respective jurisdiction to establish a basic system that automatically connects a person dialing 911 to an established PSAP through normal telephone service facilities, or to be part of such a system.
2. Requires the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to develop a plan and timeline of target dates for the testing, implementation, and operation of a Next Generation (NG) 911 emergency coordination system that includes a text to 911 service, throughout California.

This bill requires each PSAP to deploy a text to 911 service that enables an individual to text “911” for emergency services, and that is capable of accepting Short Message Service (SMS) messages and Real-Time Text (RTT) messages, by January 1, 2021.

Background

Purpose of the bill. According to the author, “as someone who is hard of hearing, I believe it is critical that we expand the ways people access 9-1-1 in an emergency. California companies are creating cutting edge technology on a daily basis and I believe we have the capability to launch Text to 9-1-1 statewide by 2021. This technology would be helpful to those who find themselves in situations where it might be too dangerous to dial 911. Scenarios could include domestic abuse situations, accidents that cause inability to speak or active shooter situations.”

911 Routing. When the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act was enacted, 911 emergency calls were made primarily on landlines. A call would be routed to a PSAP and the dispatcher would dispatch emergency services to the location accordingly. As wireless phones were introduced, wireless 911 calls were routed to a California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch because most early wireless phones were in cars and the assumption was that calls being made from a wireless phone were primarily to report issues on roadways. As wireless phones became more common, and the use of landlines decreased, more 911 calls were being made from wireless phones rather than landlines. Today, when a 911 call is made from a wireless phone, the call is routed to an antenna on a cell tower. Each antenna is assigned an Emergency Service Number which determines the PSAP that will handle the call. Calls are then queried until their location is determined by CHP and then transferred to a local dispatch center. This process can often lead to delays due to the inability to identify a caller’s exact location in a timely manner.

The Status of Next Gen 911. The legacy 911 system was originally designed for an analog and landline telephone network. However, California’s telecommunication landscape has changed dramatically since the establishment of the 911 system, and the use of fixed location landlines is steadily declining. According to data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscriptions exceeded wireline subscriptions in 2016. If the rate of VoIP adoption continues, analog phone systems may be completely replaced by digital and Internet Protocol (IP) based systems by 2030.

While consumers’ telecommunications systems have changed dramatically in recent years, the 911 system has not yet been commensurately updated to reflect those changes. Existing law requires OES to develop and implement an NG 911 system, which will upgrade PSAPs to effectively receive and route calls occurring over a digital and IP network. Under existing law, the NG 911 system must include a text to 911 service. OES anticipates implementing NG 911 by the end of 2022, if sufficient funding is authorized. The Legislature is considering several proposals regarding NG 911 this year, including a surcharge that would help fund NG 911 systems, including text to 911. This bill would require text to 911 implementation to include SMS and RTT functionality by January 1, 2021.

Some counties have already implemented text to 911. However, it is unclear whether those counties are facilitating RTT messages. For example, Sacramento County has implemented text to 911, and the county indicates that persons with disabilities can use a text telephone technology (TTY) service to send messages through PSAPs; however, it is not clear if Sacramento’s text to 911 system can facilitate RTT.

What is Short Message Service and Real-Time Text? SMS and RTT are both text messaging systems that use communication protocols to transmit messages over telecommunication devices, including wireless phones. When a person uses SMS, the recipient only sees the message after the sender has typed the entire message and sent it. When a person uses an RTT service, the recipient sees the message in real time as the sender enters characters. While SMS is a widely used instant messaging system that employs traditional communication protocols, RTT allows individuals who have specific speech and hearing challenges to have text conversations in real time as if they were placing a call. Smart phones frequently have TTY/RTT functions that callers can enable; however, the availability of RTT partly depends on whether carriers make the function available on their networks and settings for phones.

The FCC has provided guidance on how to implement RTT at PSAPs to support the use of NG 911. In 2016, the FCC adopted rules to facilitate the transition from TTY to RTT as a universal text message system enabling people who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability to communicate over wireless IP networks. In 2018, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) provided guidelines to for PSAPs to comply with requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. These guidelines outline a timeline for carriers to implement RTT functionality. Under this timeline, NENA expects all carriers to implement RTT on phones by June 30, 2021. This bill is generally consistent with efforts at the federal level to ensure that RTT is deployed by end of 2021 to facilitate text to 911 communication for populations that cannot use traditional calling functions.

Prior/Related Legislation

SB 96 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, 2019) among other things, authorizes the amounts deposited into the State Emergency Telephone Number Account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be spent on 911 systems, which include, but are not limited to, NG 911, and the subsequent technologies, and interfaces needed to deliver 911 voice and data information from the 911 caller to the emergency responder. (Pending on the Senate Floor)

AB 911 (Rodriguez, 2019) would require OES to establish a statewide system that would allow individuals to voluntarily provide health and safety information to first responders in an emergency if a 911 call is placed. (Pending in the Senate Governmental Organization Committee)

AB 1121 (Padilla, Chapter 926, Statutes of 2014) required OES to develop a plan and timeline to test and implement a NG 911 system, as specified.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

SUPPORT:

American Academy of Pediatrics, California

California Coalition of Agencies Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, Inc.

California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center

Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency

Greater Los Angeles Agency of Deafness, Inc.

NorCal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation

The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration

OPPOSITION:

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to Norcal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, “[c]urrently, access to 9-1-1 services is by phone or TTY. However, many Deaf people do not have TTYs in their homes, having moved on to using videophone, smartphone and email technology. As a result, Deaf people have been forced to depend on third party relay services to access 911 services for the past decade. Although such technology is available, text to 9-1-1 services is available in only a few counties.”

DUAL REFERRAL: Senate Energy, Utilities, & Communications Committee (13-0) & Senate Governmental Organization Committee

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS

Senator Ben Hueso, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Bill No: AB 1168 Hearing Date: 6/18/2019

SUBJECT: Emergency services: text to 911

DIGEST: This bill requires implementation of a text to 911 service that supports Short Message Service (SMS) and Real Time Text (RTT) messages by January 1, 2021.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes California’s 911 telecommunications service, requires every local public agency operating firefighting, police, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services to establish and operate a 911 service, and requires Office of Emergency Services (OES) to coordinate the implementation of 911 systems and support local agencies in the operation and improvement of 911 systems. (Government Code §53100 et. seq./ Warren 911 Emergency Assistance Act)
2. Requires OES to develop a plan and timeline for the testing, implementation and operation of a Next Generation 911 (NG 911) emergency communication system, including text to 911 service, throughout California. (Government Code §53121)

This bill requires each public safety answering point (PSAP) to deploy a text to 911 service that allows an individual to text “911” for emergency services capable of accepting SMS and RTT messages.

Background

The Status of Next Gen 911. Public safety answering points (PSAP) are call centers that route 911 calls to emergency responders, including police, fire, and ambulance services. When a call is routed through a PSAP, it may contain information that can better enable rapid emergency response. When a 911 call is placed from a landline, the address associated with the phone numbers is routed with the call. This information is more readily available for landline calls because landline phones have a fixed location. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls can be placed from any location. Consequently, 911 dispatchers may require additional information to verify the location from which a 911 VoIP call is placed.

The legacy 911 system was originally designed for an analog and wireline telephone network. However, California’s telecommunication landscape has changed dramatically since the establishment of the 911 system, and the use fixed location landlines is steadily declining. According to data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), VoIP subscriptions exceeded wireline subscriptions in 2016. If the rate of VoIP adoption continues, analog phone systems may be completely replaced by digital and IP-based systems by 2030.

While consumers’ telecommunications systems have changed dramatically in recent years, the 911 system has not yet been commensurately updated to reflect those changes. Existing law requires OES to develop and implement a NG 911 system, which will upgrade PSAPs to effectively receive and route calls occurring over an internet protocol and digital network. Under existing law, the NG 911 system must a text to 911 service. OES anticipates implementing NG 911 by the end of 2022, if sufficient funding is authorized. The Legislature is considering several proposals regarding NG 911 this year, including a surcharge that would help fund NG 911 systems, including text to 911. This bill would require text to 911 implementation to include SMS and RTT functionality by January 1, 2021.

Some counties have already implemented text to 911. However, it is unclear whether those counties are facilitating RTT messages. For example, Sacramento County has implemented text to 911, and the county indicates that persons with disabilities can use a text telephone technology (TTY) service to send messages through PSAPs; however, it is not clear if Sacramento’s text to 911 system can facilitate RTT.

What is SMS and RTT? SMS and RTT are both text messaging systems that use communication protocols to transmit messages over telecommunication devices, including wireless phones. When a person uses SMS, the recipient only sees the message after the sender has typed the entire message and sent it. When a person uses an RTT service, the recipient sees the message in real time as it the sender enters characters. While SMS is a widely used instant messaging system that employs traditional communication protocols, RTT allows individuals who have specific speech and hearing challenges to have text conversations in real time as they were placing a call. Smart phones frequently have text telephone technology (TTY)/RTT functions that callers can enable; however, the availability of RTT partly depends on whether carriers make the function available on their networks and settings for phones.

The FCC has provided guidance on how to implement RTT at PSAPs to support the use of NG 911. In 2016, the FCC adopted rules to facilitate the transition from TTY to RTT as a universal text message system enabling people who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability to communicate over wireless IP networks. In 2018, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) provided guidelines to for PSAPs to comply with requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These guidelines outline a timeline for carriers to implement RTT functionality. Under this timeline, NENA expects all carriers to implement RTT on phones by June 30, 2021. This bill is generally consistent with efforts at the federal level to ensure that RTT is deployed by end of 2021 to facilitate text to 911 communication for populations that cannot use traditional calling functions.

Dual referral. Should this committee approve this bill, it will be re-referred to the Senate Committee on Governmental Organization for their consideration.

Prior/Related Legislation

AB 911 (Rodriguez, 2019) would require OES to establish a statewide system that would allow individuals to voluntarily provide health and safety information to first responders in an emergency if a 911 call is placed. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Committee on Governmental Organization.

AB 1121 (Padilla, Chapter 926, Statutes of 2014) required OES to develop a plan and timeline to test and implement a NG 911 system.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

SUPPORT:

American Academy of Pediatrics, California

California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians

California Coalition of Agencies Servicing the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center

Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency

Greater Los Angeles Agency in Deafness, Inc.

NorCal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation

The Arc California

United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration

OPPOSITION:

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author:

As someone who is hard of hearing, I believe it is critical that we expand the ways people access 9-1-1 in an emergency. California companies are creating cutting edge technology on a daily basis and I believe we have the capability to launch Text to 9-1-1 statewide by 2021. This technology would be helpful to those who find themselves in situations where it might be too dangerous to dial 911. Scenarios could include domestic abuse situations, accidents that cause inability to speak or active shooter situations.

-- END --

Date of Hearing: May 8, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1168

Author:(Mullin) – As Introduced Ver:February 21, 2019

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill requires, by January 1, 2021, each public safety answering point to deploy a text-to-911 service that enables an individual to text “911” for emergency services that is capable of accepting either Short Message Service messages or Real-Time Text messages.

FISCAL EFFECT:

The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) reports costs should be minor and absorbable, because capability required by this bill is included in the Next Generation 911 implementation plan and the timetable is doable.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author:

As someone who is hard of hearing, I believe it is critical that we expand the ways people access 911 in an emergency. California companies are creating cutting edge technology on a daily basis and I believe we have the capability to launch Text to 911 statewide by 2021. This technology would be helpful to those who find themselves in situations where it might be too dangerous to dial 911. AB 1168 Page 2 Scenarios could include domestic abuse situations, accidents that cause inability to speak or active shooter situations.

1. Background. Statute tasks the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) with coordinating the overall state response to disasters, which includes oversight of the 911 system. This also includes annually estimating a surcharge rate on telephone customers for intrastate voice communications that OES estimates will produce sufficient revenue to fund the fiscal year’s 911 costs.

California has operated a 911 system for decades. The system operates on an analogue system of hundreds of public safety answering points (PSAP). The PSAP system is coordinated to work with wireless phone calls through relay protocol that assigns each wireless call to a PSAP. However, the system supports voice service and a limited amount of data service.

The state government and law recognize many Californians are moving, or have moved, away from traditional landline telephone service to internet protocol-enabled (IP-enabled) service. Pursuant to existing statute, Cal OES is working to implement “Next Gen 911,” an IP-based two-way communications system that will allow digital information, such as voice, photos, videos and text messages, to flow between 911 callers and PSAPs. (See AB 1211 (Padilla), Chapter 926, Statutes of 2014.) Cal OES expects to fully implement Next Gen 911 by the end of 2022. The requirements of this bill, which are effective January 1, 2021, would seem to reply on successful implementation of Next Gen 911.

1. Related and Prior Legislation.
   1. AB 911 (Rodriguez) seeks to enact the Manny Alert Act to establish a statewide system administered by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) through which Californians may provide vital health and safety information for use by first responders during an emergency. The bill is pending in this committee.
   2. AB 1366 (Gonzalez) extends indefinitely the prohibition on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), or any department, agency, commission, or political subdivision of the state from exercising regulatory jurisdiction or control over Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Protocol (IP) enabled services except as expressly directed to do so by statute. The bill is pending in this committee.

Analysis Prepared by: Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 24, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND CONVEYANCE

Miguel Santiago, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1168 (

Author:Mullin) – As Introduced Ver:February 21, 2019

SUBJECT: Emergency services: text to 911

SUMMARY: Requires each public safety answering point (PSAP) to deploy a text to 911 service that enables an individual to text “911” for emergency services that is capable of accepting either Short Message Service messages or Real-Time Text messages, by January 1, 2021.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the Warren-911 Emergency Assistance Act, which establishes the number “911” as the primary emergency telephone number for use in the state and to encourage units of local government and combinations of such units to develop and improve emergency communication procedures and facilities in such a manner as to be able to quickly respond to any person calling the telephone number “911” seeking police, fire, medical, rescue, and other emergency services. (Government Code (GOV) Section 53100, et seq.)
2. Requires a provider of commercial mobile radio service, to provide access for end users of that service to the local emergency telephone systems described in the Warren-911 Emergency Assistance Act, as specified. (Public Utilities Code Section 2896.1)
3. Imposes a 911 surcharge on intrastate telephone communication services and/or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service that provides access to the 911 emergency system. (Revenue and Taxation Code (RTC) Section 41020)
4. Requires the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to determine annually, on or before October 1, to be effective on January 1 of the following year, a specified surcharge rate that it estimates will produced sufficient revenue to fund the current fiscal year’s 911 costs. (RTC Section 41030)
5. Requires Cal OES to develop a plan and timeline of target dates for the testing, implementation, and operation of a Next Generation 911 (Next Gen 911) emergency communication system, including text to 911 service, throughout California. (GOV Section 53121)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill has been keyed fiscal by the Legislative Counsel.

COMMENTS:

1. Authors Statement: According to the author, “As someone who is hard of hearing, I believe it is critical that we expand the ways people access 911 in an emergency. California companies are creating cutting edge technology on a daily basis and I believe we have the capability to launch Text to 911 statewide by 2021. This technology would be helpful to those who find themselves in situations where it might be too dangerous to dial 911. Scenarios could include domestic abuse situations, accidents that cause inability to speak or active shooter situations.”
2. Background: The Warren-911 Emergency Assistance Act established California’s 911 emergency telephone response system in 1973. California has one of the nation’s largest 911 system with over 442 call center to handle its 911 calls. The Warren-911 Act provided a single, primary three-digit emergency number through which emergency service could quickly and efficiently be obtained. California’s 911 system was built on an infrastructure of analog, circuit-switched network technology known as PSAP which is designed mostly to support voice and limited data services. There are currently 438 PSAPs in California that handle 911 calls. Cal OES is tasked with coordinating the overall state response to disasters which includes oversight of the State’s 911 system.
3. 911 Funding: The Cal OES Public Safety Communication Division is tasked with administering the states 911 emergency system which includes reviewing local PSAP equipment and operation, and the administration and oversight of the State Emergency Telephone Number Account (SETNA) used to fund 911 services in California. SETNA funds are derived from a statewide 911 surcharge on telephone customers for intrastate voice communications. Cal OES is required to annually determine the surcharge rate up to a statutory maximum of 0.75 percent and a minimum of 0.50 percent. As of April 2019, the SETNA surcharge is set at 0.75 percent. For years, there has been a steady decline in the amount of revenue collected and deposited into SETNA. This trend is largely due to the decline in the use of intrastate voice services.
4. 911 Routing: When the Warren-911 Act was enacted, 911 emergency calls were made primarily on landlines. A call would be routed to a PSAP and the dispatcher would dispatch emergency services to the location accordingly. As wireless phones were introduced, wireless 911 calls were routed to a California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch because most early wireless phones were in cars and the assumption was that calls being made from a wireless phone were primarily to report issues on roadways. As wireless phones became more common, and the use of landlines decreased, more 911 calls were being made from wireless phones over landlines. Today, when a 911 call is made from a wireless phone, the call is routed to an antenna on a cell tower. Each antenna is assigned an Emergency Service Number which determines the PSAP that will handle the call. Calls are then queried until their location is determined by CHP and then transferred to a local dispatch center. This process can often lead to delays due to the inability to identify a caller’s exact location in a timely manner.
5. Next Generation 911: As more California’s move away from landlines to more Internet Protocol (IP) based systems, such as wireless and VoIP, ensuring that the state’s emergency communications network capabilities can support this transition is critical to public safety. Next Gen 911 is an IP based two way communications system that will allow digital information, such as voice, photos, videos, and text messages, to flow between 911 callers and PSAPs. Next Gen 911 will build upon, and eventually replace, the existing 911 system and lay the groundwork for a new communications system for our first responders that has the capabilities to support advancing technologies and uses. In 2014, SB 1121 (Padilla) Chapter 926, Statute of 2014, required Cal OES to develop a timeline for the implementation of Next Gen 911. Since then, Cal OES has worked with various stakeholders to develop a Next Gen 911 implementation plan and, depending on funding, projects full implementation of Next Gen 911 by December 2022.

This bill requires each PSAP to deploy a text to 911 service by January 1, 2021, that enables individuals to text “911” for emergency services. As more people continue to rely on IP based systems, updating the States 911 system to support such new technologies would be helpful in situations in which individuals find it too difficult or dangerous to dial 911. It would also greatly improve communications between individuals and first responders, especially among those in deaf and disabled communities that might find it difficult to verbally communicate during an emergency. Reforming the way in which SETNA is funded will be critical in order for the State to continue to support the existing 911 system, while also updating it to support Next Gen 911.

1. Arguments in Support: According to NorCal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, “Currently, access to 911 services is by phone or [teletypewriter] (TTY). However, many Deaf people do not have TTYs in their homes, having moved on to using videophone, smartphone and email technology. As a result, Deaf people have been forced to depend on third party relay services to access 911 services for the past decade. Although such technology is available, text to 911 services is available in only a few counties. The passage of AB 1168 would ensure that Deaf people in California have direct access to 911 services.”
2. Related Legislation: AB 911 (Rodriguez) of 2019 requires Cal OES to establish a statewide system that enables all Californians to voluntarily share information about themselves to first responders during an emergency. Status: Pending in the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization.
3. Prior Legislation: AB 1211 (Padilla) of 2014 required Cal OES to develop a plan and timeline for testing, implementation, and operation of a Next Generation 911 emergency communications system. Status: Chaptered by the Secretary of State – Chapter 926, Statutes of 2014.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians
California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center
Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency
Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. (Glad)
Norcal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Edmond Cheung / C. & C. / (916) 319-2637