Alexandria, VA – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International filed comments today with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing strong disapproval of a 9-1-1 vertical location accuracy proposal submitted by CTIA on behalf of the nationwide wireless carriers.  The FCC required by August 3 that the carriers submit a proposed “z-axis metric” for determining the vertical location of 9-1-1 callers located inside of buildings.  CTIA proposed a z-axis metric of plus or minus five meters, which could vary as much as two floors below and two floors above the actual caller’s floor.

In its comments, APCO called on the FCC to reject the proposal.  APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek Poarch said “It is most unfortunate that APCO and other public safety associations are put in the position of having to file in opposition to the carriers and CTIA, but a metric of plus or minus five meters is totally unacceptable to APCO and our professional members.  We have made repeatedly clear that such a wide range would disserve the citizens of this country that count on wireless communications for their safety.  It is obvious that the carriers have a lot of work to do to find an appropriate solution to the problem, including to deliver on their promises to provide a dispatchable location – meaning ‘the door to kick down’ – as the gold standard for indoor location accuracy.”

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APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.