Michigan Bill Would Allow County Commissioners to Apply Local 911 Surcharge on IP and Cell Telephony

Funding for Michigan's 911 system is in jeopardy, said the Michigan Association of Counties in a release, as state authorization for its funding ends at the end of the month. Without reauthorization, local 911 centers would be in jeopardy of shutting down.

Senate Bills 410 and 411, currently stalled on the House Floor, would not only extend the authorization for collecting local revenues for this emergency service, but they would make the funding formula both fair to consumers, and stable for critical 911 services, said the counties. Currently, local surcharges are only added to land line telephone bills to pay for 911 operations because when the act was written, cell and Internet telephones were not widely available.

"As consumers have switched to cell and Internet voice communications, the local revenue for 911 has been drastically reduced, placing even heavier burdens on land line customers," said Ken Lautzenheiser, president of the Michigan Association of Counties.

The bills would allow locally elected and locally accountable county commissioners to apply a local surcharge equally to all voice communications devices that can access 911 to pay for local 911 services within a county. "SB 410 and 411 will result in a generally lower local surcharge rate because the burden will be spread to all users of 911. The bills ensure equal and fair surcharges for access to 911, and provide stable funding for critical 911 service for years to come," said Lautzenheiser. "The House has an obligation to act as the Senate did, and pass these bills immediately so counties can provide for the safety of the general public in the new year through access to the emergency number 911."

Counties, public safety entities and telecommunications providers worked for over two years to achieve a balance in funding of this critical service, although now it appears some of the larger providers are walking away from the table, said the counties. "It's unfortunate that after working constructively with us on an equitable formula for emergency 911 service, that corporate giant AT&T is now trying to kill the deal. What's most troubling is that if they get their way, not only will consumers suffer, but so will public safety," said Lautzenheiser.