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Texting to E911 in Colorado

Ebere Ibegbu, Haitham Felemban, Muhammad Wahla, Walied Ibrahim ebere.ibegbu@colorado.edu, haitham.felemban@colorado.edu, muhammad.wahla@colorado.edu, walied.ibrahim@colorado.edu

A capstone paper submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Interdisciplinary Telecommunications at the University of Colorado, Boulder, 6 December 2010. Project directed by: Professors Sharon Black and Martin Taschdjian

1. Introduction It is generally possible to make emergency calls to 911 on a fixed or mobile phone, but this is not the case with texting. This may come as a surprise, since in most areas of the US, people can send text messages text their friends and family. For at least three cases, texting to 911 is critical: (1) In emergencies where talking would be dangerous; 2) For the speech and hearing impaired; and (3) In natural and other disasters where heavy call volumes overload the voice network, but text messages could still “get through.” A fourth, less critical group, is the increasingly large number of younger persons who habitually use texting rather than voice calls.

Many recent headline events underscore the first group. Two prominent examples were in the Columbine High School massacre of April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado (CNN, 1999) and the shooting incident at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. Students hiding for their lives were unable to send text messages to 911 (Hatfield, Bernthal & Weiser, 2008, p.14). Texting is safer whenever a voice call would endanger a caller.

Most speech and hearing-impaired persons can use a “Teletype Writer/Telecom Device for the Deaf” (TTY/TDD) to communicate with 911. (Denvergov, n.d.) However, these devices are not portable. Texting from a mobile phone to 911 would solve this problem.

Third, during disasters, emergency communications systems have been overwhelmed with the volume of calls. The widespread use of cell phones makes it much easier for more people to report incidents than called during the days of only wired, landline phones. For instance during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, people and emergency responders suffered from congestion on the portions of the voice network that survived the winds and flooding, although the networks carrying text messages continued to operate even when voice calls were blocked (Moore, 2005). Therefore, implementing texting in 911 systems would greatly enhance the emergency response system’s ability to operate efficiently during major events.

Finally, Figure A-1 in appendix A, shows that most persons under 45 years old, send and receive more text messages each day than phone calls. This is a powerful difference in communications habits among those in the 18-24 age group, who use texting four times more than phone calls; those in the 13-17 age group send and receive eight times more messages than phone calls each day! This trend is expected to continue and perhaps even increase.

This project has two purposes: 1) to explore the technical, economic, organizational, operational, and regulatory issues surrounding texting to 911 in Colorado; and 2) to discover solutions to the problem, if any. To accomplish these goals, our team used three different data

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sources: 1) a literature review of current papers, existing studies, and reports on 911 networks, operations, related policies and business models; 2) twenty-two in-depth interviews with 911 personnel; and 3) site surveys of five Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

While the literature review provided the team with good background material, the majority of the information for this paper came from the twenty-two, primarily face-to-face, interviews with key individuals from: A) the State of Colorado; B) six 911 agencies; C) four companies involved in the 911 Industry; D) two national organizations; and E) five 911 consultants. Interviewees from these categories are listed in Appendix C. The team developed an interview guide of open-ended topic areas structured in a conversational manner. We tested the guide with Dr. Sharon Black and Dr. Martin Taschdjian (Academic Advisors) before starting field interviews to improve and ensure quality interviews.

We toured five different Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) locations in Colorado including: Aurora, Boulder, Commerce City, Lakewood, and the Intrado Company’s national location in Longmont to learn about 911 operations and PSAP requirements. Intrado is a major provider of 911 infrastructure throughout the U.S.

After the data collection, the team: 1) summarized and tabulated the information and side notes, 2) reviewed and correlated data, 3) categorized the data, 4) analyzed the findings, 5) identified the factors preventing texting to 911 in Colorado, 6) identified locations where texting is successfully being done, and 7) recommended solutions for Colorado.

The next section (2) provides a technical description of: 1) traditional 911 call delivery operations, 2) the impact of cell phones on the emergency call delivery, and 3) the typical route of a “Short Message System” (SMS) text message. Section 3 provides reports on “text-to-911” operations; Section 4 addresses other factors and concerns on texting to E911 raised during the interviews. Section 5 concludes the paper. 2. Technical Description In 1968, the first 911 call in the US was made in Haleyville, Alabama from the City Hall to the police station (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1994). Over the next twenty years the Bell System propagated the system throughout the U.S., making “911” the standard number to reach help. At the time, billing data for each fixed- location telephone was stored in a database called the “Centralized Automatic Message Accounting” (CAMA) system so that long-distance charges from each phone could be correctly billed. Therefore, to locate 911 callers, the Bell System decided to use the CAMA system. Since then, much more intricate systems have been developed and a high percentage of calls are now wireless, but the 911 system still uses the CAMA database to identify a calling location and deliver it to the PSAPs over CAMA trunks (Brevard County, n.d.). 2.1 Traditional 911 Landline Calling System The traditional 911 system uses the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Signaling System 7 (SS7) to deliver calls from homes and businesses to a router in each local area named the “911 Selective Router (SR).” As shown in Figure 1, when the caller goes “off hook”, the nearest central office detects that the caller dialed “911” and automatically transfers the call to

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the 911 SR. The 911 SR uses a routing table to send the call to a “911 controller” along with the caller’s phone number under the “Automatic Number Identification (ANI). The controller uses the ANI to request the subscriber’s name and location of the calling number from the appropriate database (MicroData 911, 2009). Originally, when AT&T was the primary telephone company in the U.S., the CAMA database was used, but today other databases, managed by the incumbents and subcontractors such as Intrado, collect subscriber and billing location data from the various landline, cable, VOIP and wireless phone companies, In addition, the wireless companies provide the location of both their fixed antennae and the location of certain wireless callers. This information is known as the “Automatic Location Identification” (ALI).

����

Dispatcher/Call taker

911 Selective

Router

CAMA Trunks

1. Number (ANI)2. Address (ALI)3. PSAP code

PSTN

Detects 911

Database

VoiceVoice

Local CO

911 Controller

Figure 1: 911 Landline System (MicroData, 2009)

Once the location of the call is known, the correct PSAP is selected and the call is transferred to it via analog CAMA trunks. The CAMA trunks are generally provided by the incumbent Local Exchange Carrier

It is important to note that, in most locations in the U.S., the 911 system still operates in basically this same manner, just as it did in the 1960s and 1970s. (Lowe, 2008) There are also still remote locations where even the traditional 911 system is not yet implemented because of the cost to do so. In contrast, other commercial communications systems, such as “OnStar” and various marketing companies, have added newer technologies and achieved more sophisticated location and data transfer capabilities from those newer technologies. These include the ability to receive data such as the speed and direction of a moving vehicle, the weight of the passengers and texts, videos, and photographs. (The National E911 office, 2009, p.20)

2.2 Wireless Calls to 911 In the 1990s, cell phones became commonly used and by the 2000s the number of cell phones in use exceeded the number of landline phones. Cell phones added a new problem of locating 911 callers. As shown in Figure 2, when a caller keys in a number on a cell phone, the nearest cell tower receives the information and transfers it to the customer’s service provider’s Mobile

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Switching Center (MSC). When the MSC detects that “911” has been “dialed,” it forwards the call with the number (ANI) to the 911 SR, that routes it to a 911 controller and the subsequent analog data system.

����

D is pa tch e r/C a ll ta ke r

911 S e lec tiv e

R o u te r

C A M A T ru n ks

P o s ition D e te rm ina tio n E q u ip m e nt

C e llu la r N e tw o rk

M S C /H L R

1 . N u m b er2 . Lo ca tio n

D etects

911

Tex t / V

o ice

Tex t

E rror M

sg

V o ice

D atab ase

91 1 C o n tro lle r

D a tab a se

Figure 2: Wireless calls/text to 911 (MicroData, 2009) In the meantime, the MSC uses its Position Determination Equipment (PDE) to determine the caller’s location, depending on its level of technology. At “Phase 0,” no location information is provided by the MSC, while “Phase 1” systems provide the location of the fixed antenna handling the call, often narrowing it to a sector “face” on the antennae. Phase II systems provide more accurate location information1, using either: 1) triangulation of the three or more nearest cell towers to locate the call, or 2) the more advanced Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system using GPS chips located in the newer cell phones. Once the location is known, the 911 system uses the traditional 911 system to deliver the call to the appropriate PSAP over the CAMA trunks (Figure 2). US law has mandated that cellular systems move toward Phase II compliance, but as of November 2010, only the most densely populated counties in Colorado have met that goal. Most counties, primarily in the rural and mountain areas of Colorado are still at Phase 0 or I (911 agencies, 2010). However, within the current 911 system, if a text message is sent to 911, the MSC detects it and routes it to the 911 selective router but the analog system beyond the SR cannot carry/transport the digital data and thus an error message is sent back to the caller. This process is illustrated in Figure 2 with a red color arrow. 2.3 Basic Network Architecture for SMS (Texting) deployment Figure 3, shows how the cell phone system provides the Short Message System (SMS) or “texting” capability. The originating mobile phone (MO) sends the text (short message), that is 1 More information on Phase I and phase II can be found appendix B.

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received by the nearest cell tower and sent to the provider company’s Mobile Network Center (MSC). The MSC detects that the “call” is a text, rather than a voice call, and sends it to its Short Message Service Center (SMSC). Communication between the HLR and MSC is achieved through the Signal Transfer Point (STP), which is basically an Intelligent Network (IN) router that transfers control information between different network entities (SMS Tutorial, n.d).

Cell Tower

SMSC

MOMT

HLR

STPMSC

MSC

Cell Tower

Text

Voice

Figure 3: Basic Network Architecture for SMS

3. Technical Analysis of the Problem and Existing Solutions Most of persons interviewed for this project agreed that texting to 911 is not a technical problem, in that, if one can text to a friend, the technology is capable of sending a text to 911. However, as described above, the main obstacle to texting is the inability of the CAMA trunks to carry data (texts, photos, alarm data, etc) traffic. Therefore, to enable texting to 911, 1) the CAMA trunks must be bypassed by installing links capable of carrying text messages to the proper PSAP (Figure 4), and 2) the local Central Offices or SMCs must either: a) know the appropriate PSAP to receive the text, or b) have some central equipment to obtain the ALI, select the appropriate PSAP and transfer it to the PSAP.

Concerning the bypass of CAMA trunks, several proposals exist within the 911 community, but two are highlighted here: 1) an immediate, but incomplete solution using a cell phone with a separate 10-digit number (not 911) and 2) installing an IP link using a T1, digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber, microwave or other line capable of carrying data traffic.

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Figure 4: Calls/texting to 911

3.1 Special Cell Number in Denver The first solution is being used by Denver County, mainly to provide an immediate option for the speech and hearing impaired community. However, it is not widely advertised and thus not known by other persons in emergencies. (A 911 agency, Sept. 2010). The Denver PSAP purchased a Blackberry handheld device and obtained the number “303-513-6909” for callers to text the Denver PSAP. The texts are monitored by the PSAP staff and the information in each text is keyed into the existing Computer Aided Design (CAD) system for dispatching. The cost is relatively low and while not a perfect solution, achieves an important purpose until texting over the 911 system becomes possible. 3.2 Intrado system in Blackhawk, Iowa A second, IP-based experimental system for texting to E911 exists in Blackhawk County, Iowa, provided by Iowa Wireless and Intrado. Each text moves from the originating caller to the Iowa Wireless towers to the Intrado system and then to the Blackhawk PSAP. The Iowa 911 Board elected Blackhawk for this implementation because the county has just one PSAP with IP-based technology. An IP link, bypassing the CAMA trunks was added to the PSAP. When there is a Request for Assistance (RFA), the MSC recognizes a text to 911 and treats it with a high priority, sending it immediately to Intrado. Intrado in turn forwards it as a text call to the PSAP, and a screen opens showing the text caller on the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The call taker texts back in order to be in dialog (chat) with the sender (Meer, 2010). Phase I and II

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information are gotten from the chat session. This system has saved several lives (American City & Council, August 2010). 3.3 Columbia University, Dept. of Computer Science The Department of Computer Science, Columbia University proposed a solution to integrate texting into IP-based 911 systems. The prototype, shown in figure 5, shows a very simple way to append the user location information received from the satellite to the user's text message and send it to the SMS center. The SMS center forwards the text to the SMS gateway, an entity within the network that converts an SMS message to a “Session Initiation Protocol” (SIP) Message request and vice versa. When the SMS gateway receives an SMS message with location information, it recognizes the user's cellular phone number, the user's message, and the location information, and then the SMS is reorganized by adding the location of the appropriate Emergency Services Routing Proxy (ESRP) to the SIP request and forwarded to the ESRP. The ESRP is the main routing entity in the Emergency service IP network. It determines routing direction based on location and policy, and forwards the request to the next hop. The next hop is either an intermediate ESRP or a PSAP (Wonsang, Jong, Henning, Piotr, and Michael, 2009). The prototype showed a high consistency especially after implementing state-keeping mechanisms in the network components to keep a consistent delivery of multiple messages within a session to the same call taker.

S M S + L o ca tio n

C e ll T ow er

S a te ll ite

S M S C e n treE S R P

P S A P

S M S O r ig in a t in g N e tw o rk

E m e rg e n c y S e rv ic e IP N e tw o rk

S M S G a te w a y

Figure 5: SMS Prototype (Song, W. et al, 2009) 3.4 Update of Selective Router Tables Concerning the 911 SR tables, some alternatives must be provided to: 1) determine the location of the appropriate PSAP to receive each text, and 2) to route the text message to appropriate PSAP via an IP link. The MSC currently differentiates between voice calls and text messages for all of its customers, and directs the traffic to either the PSTN or the SMS as needed. Thus,

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when the MSC detects either a call or text for 911, it could append the necessary ANI/ALI information and forward the call or text to the appropriate 911 PSAP. The voice calls could be sent to the appropriate PSAP through the CAMA trunks as is currently being done and the text message could be directed over the IP-based link. 4. Concerns Raised in Interviews Other critical issues of 911 organization, policies, regulations, operations and funding were also raised during the interviews. These issues include: 4.1 Need for IP-based Network Some PSAPs are upgrading to IP networks to prepare for Next Generation 911 (NG911) capabilities. IP-based networks provide the most efficient solution for newer capabilities in the network, but full IP-based, NG911 functionality is not needed exclusively for texting. 4.2 Need for NG 911 Standards Some agencies stated that they are waiting for the Next Generation 911 (NG911) Standards, currently being developed by the industry, before purchasing new equipment. They want to avoid purchasing equipment that is not compatible with the final standard. NG911 is a new technology that enables the PSAPs to handle complex data types and different levels of services including texting to 911. Currently there is no standard for NG911 networks but the 911 equipment manufacturers, regulators, PSAPs, and public interested groups are working through committees logistically assisted by the National Emergency Numbering Association (NENA). However, since texting service is feasible between cell phone users, it is clear that NG 911 is not necessary for texting to 911. Thus Denver County and others have implemented this service. Consequently, since NG911 is not needed for texting, the NG911 standards –while useful for other purposes- are not required for texting to 911. 4.3 Funding 911 is a self-funded system. Each county in Colorado receives and controls its share of the 911 surcharge based on the population it serves. Different counties’ officials reported that funding is one of the biggest hurdles for the implementation of texting to 911 as it needs system upgrade. Larger counties have enough money for innovation and adding new features in their systems but the smaller counties, such as, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Clear Creek etc. do not have enough money (Independent 911 Consultant, 2010). However, how much funding is required to bypass the CAMA trunks depends on the solution selected by each PSAP. 4.4 Federal Regulation Some of the agencies reported that FCC regulations are needed before texting to 911 can occur. However, federal regulations are not needed to complete texting to family and friends. On the

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other hand, the FCC can mandate Basic Emergency Service Provider (BESP) to update the traditional CAMA trunk-based 911 system or to develop acceptable “work around” options to enable texting to 911. Right now there is no petition to the FCC to mandate texting (Independent Consultant, Oct 2010). As the public begins to demand texting to 911, the FCC may become more active in this area. (Independent Consultant, Oct 2010). 4.5 911 Governance/Policy Colorado has sixty two (62) counties and fifty six (56) 911 Authority Boards. Thus, governance, decision-making, and operation of each 911 PSAP is de-centralized and locally-ruled – also known as “home rule.” Every Colorado County establishes its own telecommunications technology infrastructure for 911 and makes its own operations decisions. Some consultants interviewed suggested that consolidation would require each jurisdiction to contribute the surcharges it now receives into a common pool and surrender local control to a centralized management system. Thus, the counties have little reason to become involved with other counties for a centralized 911 system. Colorado home rule may seem like an obstacle, but according to a federal representative, states such as Indiana and Washington State, were able to develop a state-wide 911 implementation for their NG911 network preparation. 4.6 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission and 911 Task Force The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the statewide 911 Resource Center created by the PUC in 2006, and the Statewide 911 Task Force all work together with the various Authority Boards and PSAP managers. The Resource Center and Task Force serve primarily as aids to assist the 911 authorities and PSAPs in Colorado to establish better communication and collaboration and provide recommendations to the PSAPs and counties. The Resource Center and Task Force do not have authority to make the counties or PSAPs adopt texting in any form (State of Colorado official, September 2010). 4.7 Education and Awareness Most 911 personnel have little technical background and as such, are cautious about adopting new technology unless offered by the BESP. Some 911 staff asked: “if it works now, why then do we need to change it?” (911 agency, Sept. 2010). While they are aware that texting is important, they are not convinced that they know the best way to go about implementing it. Instead, they view texting functionality as part of a long-term project that will take at least five years to develop (911 agency, Oct 2010). 4.8 Staff Training According to one of the 911 agency’s personnel (2010), it is hard for staff in the emergency world to adopt new technology. So long as the current system is working well, is reliable, and the PSAPs’ staffs are familiar with the procedures, there is concern about change. Further, new systems require training of the PSAP’s personnel – always a time consuming and costly matter.

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4.9 Texting Language A 911 agency commented that the issue of communication patterns is also a concern because texting often involves a new language of short codes For example: “h r u” which means “how are you?” Some 911 operators are unfamiliar with these and the text messages may not be informative enough to describe the location or the incident. There could be training of the call takers on the different codes available for texting. For example, Black Hawk in Iowa is working on developing their own texting dictionary to help the call takers (A 911 Company, Oct. 2010). The call takers can be trained on what kind of quick questions that can come in the chat like say someone is kidnapped and behind a car trunk, questions like: Did you hear a bump? Did you stop? How fast are you moving? Can you hear sounds? Or what kind of sound, could be asked during the chat session. 4.10 Call Load Frequently an emergency generate a large number of 911 calls, and there is concern that text messaging will bring more traffic. PSAP managers question whether their current staff levels will be adequate to handle the additional load. However, tests have shown that texting actually helps PSAPs during heavy call loads. As PSAPs change to increase their productivity, they are watching whether texting will offer a useful communications alternative or a work overload. 4.11 System Reliability The issue of IP network reliability was another factor raised by 911 officials since security issues, dropped call and dropped packets are not acceptable in the 911 world (911 consultant, Sept. 2010). One of the agencies stated that they worry about the message being delayed or not delivered – making the PSAP look non-responsive. However, 911 text messages could be flagged as “high priority” for delivery, a practice currently being done with 911 voice calls. (A 911 company, Oct. 2010). 4.12 Implementation On the providers’ side, no wireless carrier wants to be the first to implement texting to E911. This is because the Phase II implementation has been difficult and slow. (A 911 agency, Sept. 2010). It is also unclear how the cost of implementation will be shared and what mandates, if any, will impact texting. On the PSAP side, a 911 agency mentioned that the time required to work with the vendors, including the wireless companies is a big concern.

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5. Conclusion Texting to 911 is a critical service that most of the U.S. population believes is currently possible, but is not. There are existing solutions, but none are complete and all require bypassing the outdated, traditional CAMA trunk system. The cost and direction of doing so is unclear and likely will be implemented in a fragmented, “home rule” organizational structure. While an IP-based NG911system is not needed to make texting possible, it does provide a “big picture,” integrated approach. This, however, is likely to require five or more years to implement, will wait for the national standards to be determined, and may be guided by federal or state funding, and mandates. These concerns are small, however, when compared to the benefits of texting to 911 in saving lives. All efforts must be made to close this gap in the 911 systems’ ability to use current technology in a manner consistent with public expectations.

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Appendix

A: Diagram

Figure A-1: Average monthly phone calls vs. text messaging in the U.S (Nielsen Mobile. (2008)

B: Explanations:

Phase I Enhanced 911 (E911) rules require wireless service providers to:

• Provide PSAPs with the telephone number (ANI) of the caller of any wireless 911call and the location (ALI – Automatic Location Identifier) of the cell tower transmitting the call within six minute of a valid request by a PSAP and also to begin providing these information within six months of request (fcc.gov).

Phase II E911 rules require wireless service providers to:

• Provide PSAPs with more accurate location information that specifies the latitude and longitude of the caller within six minutes of a valid request by a PSAP and also to begin providing this information within six months of request. Depending on the technology used this information must be precise to within 50 to 300 meters (fcc.gov).

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C: List of Interviewees:

� Alan J. Rubin, M.B.A Independent Consultant President, Useful-Knowledge in Telecommunication

� Boris Naschansky

Director - Information Technology Department City of Lakewood

� Brain K. Shepherd

Deputy Director, ADCOM 9-1-1, Inc Adams County

� Carl Simpson

Executive Director, City of Denver 911 � Craig Donaldson

Senior Vice President, Intrado, Inc � Professor Dale Hatfield

Independent Consultant Former Chief Officer of Engineering & Technology, Federal Communications & Commission Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder

� Dale Massey

Consultant, Massey Consulting Service LLC

� Daryl Branson Executive Director - Colorado 9-1-1 Resource Center

� Gary A. Klug

Chief Engineer - Department of Regulation Agencies Public Utilities Commission

� Jaci Marie Louise

Independent Consultant President, 911 Solutions, Inc.

� Jay Willette

Communication Supervisor - Support Services Division Boulder County Sheriff’s Office

� Mark Grady

Founder at INdigital telecom Indiana

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� Mark Krapf Division Chief - Communications West Metro Fire Protection District Lakewood

� Matt Goetsch

E911 Coordinator METSA City of Montrose 911

� Michael D. Bedwell

Manager – Public Safety Communications City of Aurora

� Michael Tedder

President - Emergent Communications, Inc. � Noel Mink

Training Supervisor – Public Safety Communications City of Aurora

� Rick Jones

Operation Director - NENA � Scott M. Rose

Supervisor – Communications Section Lakewood Policy Department City of Lakewood

� Shawn Culllingford

Telecommunication Engineer - Information Technology Dept City of Lakewood

� Stephen Meer

Chief Technology Officer Intrado, Inc

� Wes Horn Manager - Telecommunication Qwest