What law established the surcharge on wireless subscribers for the implementation of wireless enhanced 911 service?
Act 159/2004 SLH created a special fund outside the State Treasury to pay for the implementation of wireless enhanced 911 service in the state.

What is the purpose of the fund?
The Wireless Enhanced 911 Fund was created to provide Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and wireless service providers (WSPs) with the funding needed to acquire technology that will enable PSAPs receiving 911 calls from wireless phones to see the caller’s identification and location. This in turn will increase public safety and emergency response.

What is a PSAP?
A Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) is a facility equipped and staffed to receive 911 calls, and dispatches appropriate public safety agencies to respond to those calls.

Who manages the fund?
The Wireless Enhanced 911 Board (the Board) manages the fund, which is administratively attached to the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS). The creation of the Board was authorized under Act 159/2004 SLH.

How much is the surcharge?
The rate of the surcharge is set at 66 cents per month for each commercial mobile radio service connection, which is each active wireless telephone number assigned to a commercial mobile radio service customer, including end-users of resellers whose place of primary use is within Hawaii. All wireless providers and resellers are required to bill and collect from each of their customers the 66 cents. HRS §138-4, established the rate of the surcharge.

How was the amount of the surcharge determined?
The figure represents the average charge of forty similar wireless charges among the fifty states, according to the task force. The high was West Virginia at $1.43 and the low was Connecticut at $0.20 cents. Using the most current information available, the task force determined that the average statewide, fixed rate for residential and commercial customers was $0.85. The calculation for Hawaii is based on a population of 750,000 wireless customers, based upon figures from the Federal Communications Commission and Verizon Hawaii as of December 2002 and accounting for the time element in beginning to collect the surcharge and the increase in subscribers since December 2002.

Will the amount of the surcharge ever change?
In accordance with HRS §138-4, the Board may make recommendations to the legislature as to whether the surcharge and fund should be discontinued, continued as is, or amended. When considering whether to discontinue, continue as is, or amend the fund or surcharge, the board’s recommendations shall be based on the latest available information concerning costs associated with providing wireless enhanced 911 service in accordance with the Federal Communications Commission order (FCC Order 94-102).

What will the money be used for?
The fund will be expended exclusively for the purpose of ensuring adequate cost reimbursement for PSAPs and Wireless Service Providers in the deployment of Phase I and II wireless enhanced 911 service, and for administrative expenses of the Board.

What is Phase I and Phase II Wireless Enhanced 911 Service?
In 1996, the FCC adopted wireless 911 rules in a two-phased approach. Under Phase I (April 1, 1998), wireless carriers must provide PSAPs with a callback number and the location of the cell site/sector receiving the 911 call. Under Phase II (October 1, 2001), wireless carriers are required to provide PSAPs the location of all 911 calls by longitude and latitude.

For Phase II, there are two basic solutions; handset-based and network-based. In handset-based solutions, GPS processing is used. In network-based solutions, a network of base stations triangulates the call for location.

In Oct. ‘99, the FCC imposed rules for handset-based solutions of 50 meters for 67% of calls, and 150 meters for 95% of calls. It also established separate rules for network-based solutions: 6 months for 50% of PSAP’s coverage area, and 18 months for 100% coverage.