STATEMENT OF 
COMMISSIONER MEREDITH A. BAKER
Re: Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements, Second Report and Order, PS Docket No. 07-
114; Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements, E911 Requirements for IP-Enabled 
Service Providers, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry, PS Docket No. 
07-114, WC Docket No. 05-196.
I am pleased to support today’s Second Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and 
Notice of Inquiry.  More than a decade ago, one of the first bills I ever worked on in Washington made 
911 the national emergency number for mobile as well as fixed numbers.  Fast forward to today when one 
of every four American homes has only wireless telephone service and standardizing access to emergency 
response services has become even more critical.1 And, even in households that have both fixed and 
wireless service, one in seven receives all or nearly all calls on wireless telephones.2
Americans aren’t just receiving calls on their wireless phones, either.  Comments in our record reveal that 
in states such as Virginia and Texas, large majorities of 911 calls were placed on wireless phones.  Those 
consumers, and countless others in emergency situations, will be safer and more secure as we require 
heightened standards for wireless carriers to ensure effective location of 911 callers.
I applaud the industry-wide cooperation in making these standards a reality.  I also support the 
Commission’s practical approach in allowing a carrier to blend network-based location data with A-GPS 
handset-based accuracy data to achieve the new Phase II network-based benchmarks.
However, it is important to note that these standards apply only to calls made outdoors.  Today’s FNPRM
rightly inquires about the state of location-based technology and whether the FCC should consider 
enhancing E911 services for consumers placing 911 calls from indoor and in-building locations.  
Heightened standards for locating emergency indoor callers could materially enhance the ability of first 
responders to provide assistance and save lives.
Today’s Notice of Inquiry also asks whether to extend 911 and E911 requirements beyond interconnected 
VoIP services, as defined by the Commission, to portable VoIP services and additional IP-based devices, 
services and applications.  While these are important questions, I am cautious about the extent of the 
Commission’s jurisdiction in this area.  
I want to thank the staff of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau for its work on this item.  I 
look forward to working with my Commission colleagues on continuing to improve E911 public safety 
initiatives. 
  
1 Stephen J. Blumberg & Julian V. Luke, Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health 
Interview Survey, July-December 2009, at 1 (May 12, 2010) National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention. (available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/wireless200905.pdf) 
(Last visited September 22, 2010).
2 Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Study, supra, at 5.