Law Commons^™

Dial 911 And Report A Congressional Empty Promise: The Wireless Communications And Public Safety Act Of 1999, Peter P. Ten Eyck

Federal Communications Law Journal

Designed to promote the prompt deployment of a seamless emergency services infrastructure to meet the nation's safety needs, the 911 Act not only instructs the FCC to assign the abbreviated dialing code 911 for use as the universal emergency telephone number, but also directs the Commission to establish appropriate transition periods for compliance in areas without 911 service. Furthermore, the 911 Act supports individual states' efforts to develop comprehensive emergency communications. Although improving the 911 system and saving lives by developing an end-to-end emergency communications network are commendable goals, this Note argues that the anemic 911 Act is an important …