§5311.2. Powers and duties of agency.

(a) Administration.--The agency shall have the following powers and duties in relation to a wireless E-911 system:

(1) To designate at least one employee of the agency who shall serve as a point of contact at the agency for all matters involving wireless E-911 systems in this Commonwealth.

(2) To oversee the development, implementation, operation and maintenance of a Statewide integrated wireless E-911 system, formulate technical standards and determine permitted uses of and amounts disbursed from the Wireless E-911 Emergency Services Fund, including the costs of PSAPs and wireless providers that are eligible for payment from the fund.

(3) To approve each county's county plan, or amendment to its agency-approved county plan, incorporating wireless E-911 service capabilities as may be submitted by the county to the agency.

(4) To provide counties with plans that contain cost-saving measures that provide joint purchasing opportunities and facilitate regionalization of technology and consolidation of PSAPs and their operations. The agency shall provide suggested industry-acceptable and uniform standards for levels of staffing and uniform standards of operation.

(b) Wireless E-911 State plan.--The agency shall prepare, maintain and keep current, after adequate public notice and opportunity to comment and after consideration of the recommendations of the wireless subcommittee of the advisory committee, a wireless E-911 State plan providing for all aspects of the development, implementation, operation and maintenance of a Statewide integrated wireless E-911 system in accordance with the FCC E-911 Order. Under the plan, the agency shall:

(1) Establish model agreements for mutual aid agreements, cross-service agreements, service contracts and all other documents by and among public agencies, PSAPs and wireless providers that may be required in the implementation of the wireless E-911 State plan, review the agreements and documents for consistency with the applicable county plan and assist the parties in assuring their execution.

(2) Require each wireless provider to notify the agency of each county in which it is licensed on March 29, 2004, and provides wireless service and, at the time new service is initiated, each county in which it is licensed and initiates wireless service and to notify counties of wireless service within each county, specifically noting wireless service to more than one county. In the event of disputes among PSAPs regarding the PSAP to which a wireless provider routes 911 calls, the routing shall be determined by the agency.

(3) Establish uniform Statewide standards for the format and content of wireless automatic location information and wireless automatic number identification, which standards shall be the standards adopted by the National Emergency Number Association, as amended by that organization. Wireless providers will use the applicable National Emergency Number Association data transmission format standards to deliver the data to the wireless E-911 system.

(4) Forward a copy of the completed plan and any revision of the plan to all affected counties, PSAPs, wireless providers, local exchange carriers, competitive local exchange carriers and interexchange carriers.

(5) Require each wireless provider to provide the agency with a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week contact telephone number or pager number for use by PSAPs in emergency situations.

(May 21, 2013, P.L.29, No.9, eff. imd.)

Notation

2013 Amendment.  Act 9 added subsec. (a)(4). Section 3 of Act 9 provided that the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency shall, within 120 days of the effective date of section 3, promulgate updated program guidance to incorporate the addition of subsec. (a)(4).

Cross References.  Section 5311.2 is referred to in section 5311.4 of this title.