FCC Spectrum Reform Bill Creates False Alarm Nightmare

The current version of the FCC spectrum reform bill in the Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum Act (JOBS Act) could create a false alarm nightmare and stain the security industry and overwhelm the nation's 9-1-1 system.

Lou Fiore, chairman of the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC), says there is "a major problem with the 9-1-1 implementation portion of the spectrum bill as adopted by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on December 1, 2011 regarding the sending of automatic signals to 911 centers."

He says the problem could result in "9-1-1 operators being flooded with automatic sensor-generated calls, potentially from security devices, as well as Personnel Emergency Response System (PERS) calls. The alarm industry, which currently screens these calls before they are forwarded to 9-1-1 centers, knows from experience the majority of these calls from burglar and fire alarm systems and PERS systems do not require dispatch.

"Regarding PERS, the overwhelming majority of calls (99 percent) do not require the dispatch of emergency services. In many cases, the senior is seeking just to talk with someone. Currently, the alarm industry screens all these calls before they are sent to the 9-1-1 operator to determine whether emergency services need to be dispatched. On an annual basis, we screen over a 100 million calls. Of that, [central monitoring stations] can resolve in the high 90th percentile."

According to the AICC, the current language of the Subcommittee bill under (e) (4) (B) defines an emergency call as “non-human-initiated automatic event alerts, such as alarms, telematics, or sensor data, which may also include real-time voice, text or video communications.”

Fiore says these sensor-driven calls to the 9-1-1 center will render the emergency responders unable to respond to real emergencies because of the overwhelming number of calls.

"While we understand that the Subcommittee wants to allow texting as an adjunct or replacement for voice, based upon how the bill is drafted, sensors could be installed that would result in emergency signals being sent directly to the 9-1-1 center without verification," Fiore says. This would flood 9-1-1 operators with calls. Imagine how many calls to 9-1-1 centers would have been generated if sensor-driven calls were allowed during the recent Virginia earthquake this past summer?"

"We also are concerned that PERS will be set up to send messages directly to the 9-1-1 center. Currently, there is no technology that would enable 9-1-1 centers to electronically screen out such calls. We know from past experience of some 20 years ago, that companies devised systems whereby a homeowner or business owner could repeatedly send emergency messages using tape dialers directly to police and fire dispatchers.

"Police and fire services around the country had to pass laws to ban the practice because it was crippling their ability to field real emergency calls. With today’s technology one could easily put a sensor into an alarm system which would directly dial, text or communicate over the Internet to 9-1-l centers."

The AICC is recommending integrators contact their Congressmen and Senators to express concern over the existing language.