The FCC Enforcement Bureau and DISH Wireless L.L.C., an indirect subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, (NASDAQ: SATS) reached a deal to resolve the agency’s probe into whether DISH complied with its obligation to deploy vertical location technology for wireless 911 calls in each of the top 25 cellular market areas where it launched 5G Voice over New Radio service.
To settle this matter, DISH will pay a $100,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury. In exchange, the bureau terminates the investigation and won’t schedule a hearing on whether DISH holds the basic qualifications to be a Commission licensee.
Commercial Mobile Radio Service providers are required to deploy dispatchable location or z-axis technology in the top 25 cellular market areas and to submit a compliance certification within 60 days after each required deployment. 911 vertical location technology is meant to enable emergency personnel to find a wireless caller who’s in a multi-story building.
The FCC says in the Consent Decree that failure to deploy vertical location technology for wireless 911 calls limits first responders’ ability to locate callers in emergencies. The Commission also says it prevents the agency from fulfilling its mission with regard to public health and safety.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
Reader Interactions