The act required the setup of enhanced 911 and mandated that 911 serve as the emergency number for non-land line phones as well.
There were six bi-partisan co-sponsors: Roy Blunt [R-MO], Nathan Deal [R-GA], Anna Eshoo [D-CA], Thomas Sawyer [D-OH], William Tauzin [R-LA], and Heather Wilson [R-NM].
[1] The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act moved from the House and was presented in the Senate on April 14, 1999 as S.800.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Conrad Burns [MT], and co-sponsored by 15 senators: The bill was presented to committee on May 12 where hearings were held in the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications.
On June 23, the Committee on Commerce ordered the bill to be reported favorably with their added amendments.
September 8, the bill was received back in the House with a message on Senate action.
Requires the FCC to encourage and support efforts by States to deploy comprehensive end-to-end emergency communications infrastructure and programs based on coordinated statewide plans.
Authorizes telecommunications carriers to provide call location information concerning a user of a commercial mobile service to: (1) emergency dispatchers and emergency service personnel in order to respond to the user's call; (2) the user's legal guardian or family member in an emergency situation that involves the risk of death or serious physical harm; or (3) providers of information or data base management services solely for assisting in the delivery of emergency services.