CTIA-The Wireless Association® Statement on FCC's Release of '2nd Annual Report to Congress on State Collection and Distribution of 911 and Enhanced 911 Fees and Charges'

Report found 13 states that collected the fees used it to support programs other than 911 and five states didn't respond or didn't provide information

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the "2nd Annual Report to Congress on State Collection and Distribution of 911 and Enhanced 911 Fees and Charges," CTIA-The Wireless Association® Vice President of External and State Affairs K. Dane Snowden released the following statement:

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"CTIA and the wireless industry are proud supporters of the public safety community and we find this report on state activity incredibly disappointing. We are baffled by the states that have decided to take money from the 911 funds and use them for extraneous purposes.

"With more than 20 percent of American households going wireless-only and more than 300,000 wireless E911 calls made every single day, it is vital that our public safety responders are properly equipped to respond to wireless distress calls as quickly as possible. This includes making sure that public safety answering points (PSAP), or 911 call centers, are prepared for next generation 911.

"When our consumers see a '911 tax and fee' on their wireless bills, they pay it because they believe their contribution will go to ensure their emergency wireless or wireline calls will be answered. Unfortunately, this report tells us a different story.

"While we understand that the current economic conditions are challenging for everyone and many states, we do not believe poaching money from our public safety community is right. We look forward to working with Congress and the FCC to enact legislation that would stop states from raiding this important fund."  

CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry's voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry's leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, DC.

SOURCE CTIA-The Wireless Association

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