BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          AB 1263
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:   April 19, 1999

          ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON UTILITIES AND COMMERCE 
                     Roderick Wright, Chair
          AB 1263 (Thomson) - As Amended:  April 7, 1999
  
SUBJECT  :   Telecommunications:  911 Calls.

  SUMMARY  :   Creates the California Wireless 911 Task Force (911  
Task Force) to review and recommend improvements to local  
emergency telephone services for wireless telephone users.   
Specifically,  this bill  :  

1)Creates a task of individuals including, representatives of  
  the telecommunications industry, Department of California  
  Highway Patrol (CHP), Department of General Services (DGS),  
  public safety operators and city and county representatives.

2)Establishes that the 911 Task Force recommend the appropriate  
  statutory changes necessary to enable wireless  
  telecommunications users to access the enhanced features of  
  the local emergency telephone systems.

  EXISTING LAW  requires wireless telecommunications service  
providers to provide their customers access to the local  
emergency telephone system utilizing "911" as the primary access  
number.

Requires that "911" calls from wireless telephones be routed to  
the nearest CHP communications center.  

  FISCAL EFFECT  :   Unknown.

  COMMENTS  :   The wireless telecommunications industry has  
experienced significant growth in recent years.  The number of  
wireless telephone customers is expected to increase to over 7  
million by the end of this year.  In 1996, a Wireless 911 Task  
Force, created by Governor Wilson, made numerous findings  
regarding improvements to the wireless 911 system.  Those  
recommendations included public education, efficient call  
direction, funding, technology, non-initialized phones and a  
national non-emergency telephone number.  Since the release of  
the 1996 Task Force Report, progress has been made in  
implementing  some of the recommendations.  Numerous additional  
issues are still outstanding.  








                                                          AB 1263
                                                          Page  2


In 1998, DGS and CHP conducted a pilot project to test Phase I  
of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate to produce  
a callback number and location information on wireless 911  
calls.  The departments tested the effectiveness of selective  
routing (directly routing 911 wireless calls to the local public  
safety answering point (PSAP), rather then directly to CHP).   
The pilot project has been completed and will issue a report to  
Governor Davis' office in June 1999.  

The Governor's Office has expressed a desire to re-establish the  
911 Task Force so further improvements can be made to  
California's 911 system, including wireless 911.





  REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

  Support  

American Heart Association

  Opposition  

None on file.
  
Analysis Prepared by  :    Carolyn Veal-Hunter / U. & C. / (916)  
319-2083