CHARLES E. SCHUMER 
NEW YORK 
l:lnitrd ~tatcs ~mate 
The Honorable Thomas Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, S.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler, 
WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
January 20, 2015 
COMMIITEES 
BANKING 
DEMOCRATIC POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS 
FINANCE 
JUDICIARY 
RULES 
I applaud the Commission for taking on the challenge of updating its rules for emergency 9-1-1 
calls to ensure that first responders are able to find cell phone callers. I write to encourage you to 
finalize your rulemaking process and swiftly begin implementation of new rules. 
Today, as many as 70% of calls made to 9-1-1 may be made from cell phones; it is critical for 
public safety that dispatchers be able to find those cell phone callers as reliably as they can find 
callers who use land lines. Unfortunately, the rules in place today are simply not adequate to 
ensure that cell phone callers can be found, especially when calls are placed from indoors. 
The consequences of inadequate location accuracy services are literally deadly. A real life, 
heartbreaking example from my home state ofNew York illustrates the severity of this 
problem. In June 2013, an elderly New York woman called 9-1-1 while having a stroke, but 
FDNY and EMT dispatchers were sent to the wrong address based on a cell tower reading. 
Because she endured a stroke, her speech was slurred and she was unable to provide dispatchers 
with the correct location. She was on the phone for nearly 8 hours before she was 
located. Unfortunately she died the next day. 
I was heartened to see that the FCC has decided to tackle this issue, and even more encouraged 
that the wireless industry and public safety groups heeded your call to collaborate and identify a 
workable framework for improved location accuracy. 
I feel very strongly that the final rules you adopt should meet the principles identified by 
Commissioner Rosenworcel last year: first and foremost, a 9-1 -1 call from a cell phone should 
result in a dispatchable location; that is the only way to ensure that emergency service providers 
can reliably get to callers in need. Second, any solution must be verifiable; we cannot simply 
trust that any particular technological solution will work. Third, the rules must be flexible to 
accommodate rapidly evolving technology. And fina lly, the rules need to be implemented as fast 
@ http://schumcr.senate.gov 
as is reasonably possible, although the speediness of implementation must not be prioritized over 
accuracy and safety. 
I also encourage the FCC to continue working with public safety and industry stakeholders to 
ensure that their voices are heard. The collective expertise from the wireless and emergency 
services sectors is invaluable in putting together an effective solution for today and for the future. 
In conclusion, I urge you to take swift action on this issue. Please feel free to contact me if you 
have any further questions. 
Sincerely, 
~~ 
Charles E. Schumer 
US Senator