Data / Federal rules / 2024-03157
Location-Based Routing for Wireless 911 Calls
The Federal Communications Commission published this final rule in the Federal Register on March 13, 2024. It took effect on May 13, 2024.
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What the agency says
The Federal Communications Commission (the FCC or Commission) adopted a Report and Order in PS Docket No. 18-64, FCC 24-4, on January 25, 2024, and released on January 26, 2024. This document is a summary of the Commission's Report and Order. The Report and Order adopted rules to more precisely route wireless 911 calls and Real-Time Texts (RTT) to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), which can result in faster response times during emergencies. Wireless 911 calls have historically been routed to PSAPs based on the location of the cell tower that handles the call. Sometimes, however, the 911 call is routed to the wrong PSAP because the cell tower is not in the same jurisdiction as the 911 caller. This can happen, for instance, when an emergency call is placed near a county border. These misrouted 911 calls must be transferred from one PSAP to another, which consumes time and resources and can cause confusion and delay in emergency response. The Report and Order requires wireless providers to deploy technology that supports location-based routing, a method that relies on precise information about the location of the wireless caller's device, on their internet Protocol (IP)-based networks and to use location-based routing to route 911 voice calls and RTT communications to 911 originating on those networks when caller location is accurate and timely. The Report and Order provides six months for nationwide wireless providers to implement location-based routing for wireless 911 voice calls and provides 24 months for non-nationwide wireless providers to implement location-based routing of wireless 911 voice calls. The Report and Order provides 24 months for all wireless providers to implement location-based routing for RTT communications to 911.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2024-03157
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
- Published
- March 13, 2024
- Takes effect
- May 13, 2024
- Dates
- Effective date: May 13, 2024.
- Docket
- PS Docket No. 18-64; FCC 24-4; FR ID 202993
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 47 CFR 9
- Topics
- Communications; Communications common carriers; Communications equipment; Internet; Radio; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Satellites; Security measures; Telecommunications; Telephone
- Pages
- 37
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Everything from the Federal Communications Commission · Rules on communications · Rules on communications common carriers · Rules on communications equipment · Published in March 2024
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-24. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.