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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  News  Media  Contact: 
 November  20,  2001  Meribeth  McCarrick  at  (202)  418-  0654 


 FCC  ANNOUNCES  DALE  HATFIELD  TO  LEAD  INQUIRY 
 OF  TECHNICAL  AND  OPERATIONAL  ISSUES  AFFECTING  DEPLOYMENT  OF  WIRELESS  ENHANCED  911  SERVICES 


 Washington,  DC  –  The  FCC  today  announced  that  Dale  N.  Hatfield,  former  Chief  of  the  FCC’s 
 Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology,  will  lead  the  inquiry  of  technical  and  operational  issues 
 affecting  deployment  of  wireless  enhanced  911  (E911)  services.  The  inquiry  will  evaluate 
 information  from  technology  vendors,  network  equipment  and  handset  manufacturers,  carriers  and 
 the  public  safety  community  concerning  technology  standards  issues,  development  of  hardware  and 
 software,  and  supply  conditions.  This  inquiry  also  will  address  the  provisioning  by  incumbent  local 
 exchange  carriers  of  the  facilities  and  equipment  necessary  to  receive  and  utilize  E911  data 
 elements. 


 Tom  Sugrue,  Chief  of  the  Wireless  Telecommunications  Bureau,  said,  “As  part  of  the 
 Commission’s  commitment  to  ensure  the  full  availability  of  E911  services,  it  has  asked  Dale 
 Hatfield  to  lead  an  inquiry  into  the  technical  issues  that  are  affecting  the  pace  of  wireless  E911 
 service.  Dale’s  experience,  demonstrated  skill  in  technology  issues,  and  his  prior  work  at  the 
 Commission  will  serve  him  well  as  he  leads  this  effort.  I  am  pleased  that  Dale  has  agreed  to  bring 
 his  immense  depth  of  knowledge  and  understanding  of  telecommunications  technology  and  policy 
 to  the  issues  and  concerns  raised  in  the  wireless  E911  proceeding.” 


 Hatfield  is  the  Director  of  the  Interdisciplinary  Telecommunications  Program  at  the  University 
 of  Colorado  at  Boulder.  From  1997  until  2000,  Hatfield  served  first  as  Chief  Technologist  and  later 
 as  Chief  of  the  Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology  at  the  FCC.  Hatfield’s  other  government 
 roles  have  included  senior  policy  making  roles  as  Deputy  Assistant  Secretary  of  Commerce  for 
 Communications  and  Information  and  Deputy  Administrator  of  the  National  Telecommunications 
 and  Information  Administration,  as  well  as  Chief  of  the  Office  of  Plans  and  Policy  at  the  FCC. 
 Hatfield  holds  a  BS  in  electrical  engineering  from  Case  Institute  of  Technology  and  an  MS  in 
 Industrial  Management  from  Purdue  University. 


 Sugrue  said  that  Hatfield  will  work  closely  with  the  staff  of  the  Policy  Division  of  the  Wireless 
 Telecommunications  Bureau  to  further  define  the  parameters  of  this  inquiry,  and  that  the  Wireless 
 Telecommunications  Bureau  will,  within  the  next  few  weeks,  issue  a  Public  Notice  giving  more 
 detailed  guidance  regarding  the  scope  of  this  inquiry,  including  outlining  the  procedures  for  moving 
 forward. 


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