April is National 911 Education Month

CTIA is excited to be one of eight national organizations that recognize April as National 911 Education Month. In partnership with public safety, CTIA and our member companies are committed to educating the public about the importance of appropriately and responsibly using 911 services. We also want to raise awareness about the challenges facing our nation’s 911 system, such as the misuse of dedicated 911 funds.

Because every second counts during a 911 call, the wireless industry continuously works with public safety to ensure that wireless consumers have access to critical emergency response services when they dial 911 from a wireless handset. Wireless providers have invested significant resources to support Enhanced-911 (E-911) services that automatically deliver a 911 call to the appropriate public safety answering point (PSAPs) and provide location information to help public safety respond to an emergency as quickly as possible.

With more than 400,000 wireless 911 calls made every day, the wireless industry strongly believes that our public safety community should have all the resources they need to respond to our most critical calls.

To support 911 services, wireless consumers contribute taxes and fees each month to state 911 funds that are intended to ensure that wireless 911 calls are connected. Wireless consumers expect that funds they provide will go towards 911 services, but some states do not see it that way. According to recent FCC reports, some states use these dedicated 911 funds to support programs and services other than 911, and even transfer these critical funds for general use. CTIA believes that state and local policymakers must do all that they can to prevent 911 funds from being used for non-911 purposes because the public expects wireless 911 services to work whenever they call and wherever they are.

Wireless consumers expect the best when it comes to their safety. Throughout April, we hope you will help us educate your family and friends about our nation’s 911 system. Please visit the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition’s website for more information.