State lawmaker wants wireless phone fee to fund 911 services

Supporters are hopeful a bill recently filed in the Missouri House of Representatives to address funding for 911 operations will make it to the governor's desk this year.

Rep. Jeanie Lauer sponsored the House bill last year that would have allowed counties, with voter approval, to assess a monthly fee on wireless phones to help pay for improvements to emergency calling services. The bill made it out of the House, but failed to get to the Senate floor before the end of the legislative session in May.

Lauer proposed a similar bill Jan. 28, which again is receiving support from public safety officials, including Cape Girardeau Fire Department assistant chief Mark Hasheider.

Lauer, a Republican, represents part of Jackson County, near the Kansas City area, but has local ties. The representative is a graduate of Perryville High School and of Southeast Missouri State University.

Her bill has the opportunity to assist public safety officials in the area, if it passes.

The proposed monthly fee on wireless phones is not to exceed $1.50. Prepaid wireless devices are exempt from the fee, but would contribute via a 3 percent surcharge collected at the time of purchase. The funds would go toward a 911 service trust fund.

In Cape Girardeau County, revenue for 911 services comes from a monthly fee on landline services. Hasheider said the county's "senior consumers" are among the few keeping their landlines as many make the shift to wireless only.

Revenue from a monthly wireless fee could help the county purchase Phase 1 technology. It transmits the number of a wireless caller and identifies in what sector the call originated, based on the cell tower that picked up the phone's signal. Phase 2 technology also is available and identifies the caller's latitude and longitude at the time the call was made.

The county is working off enhanced 911, which can identify the caller's phone number and address only from a landline. Because emergency calls today are predominantly made from cellphones, Hasheider said this creates a problem for local emergency officials.

"As cellphones are becoming more and more prominent, we're receiving less and less information about who the caller is and their location," he said, "and both are extremely important."

Without Phase 1 technology, those dialing 911 in Cape Girardeau County have to verbally convey their name, phone number and location, in addition to identifying their emergency. Many callers, especially children or travelers unfamiliar with the area, are unable to give their location, Hasheider said.

He said such problems will only continue to occur as long as the county remains behind on technology. That's why Hasheider hopes to see more success with Lauer's 911 communications bill.

"We do feel very confident that this is our year," he said.

The legislation is House Bill 714.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.