Three Cellular Carriers Fined Over 911

The US Government is losing patience with some wireless operators, and has said it plans to fine at least three carriers for not meeting its standards for locating customers in 911 emergencies. Fines that total $2.825 million have been proposed against Sprint, US Cellular and Alltel. These companies have not met the requirement of having 95 percent of their customers equipped with cell phones that allow first responders to locate them in the event of an emergency.

This requirement was supposed to be fulfilled by the end of 2005. The three companies "failed to meet this critical deadline by a significant margin, despite the clear requirements of the Commission and the needs of their consumers," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement.