Carbon supports federal 911 fee legislation

Carbon County officials are supportive of federal legislation to make sure money earmarked for 911 communications systems isn’t diverted.

On Thursday, the county commissioners briefly discussed the 911 Fee Integrity Act, which was introduced by Congressman Chris Collins in New York in July with the goal of preventing states from diverting fees collected from consumers on their phone bills that are supposed to be used to improve 911 emergency communications systems.

The Federal Communications Commission has found that New York diverts at least 41 percent of 911 fees that are collected from consumers through the monthly $1.20 surcharge on cellphones for other nonpublic safety related purposes.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that this has been a problem for years, with a number of states diverting approximately $1 billion in 911 funding for other purposes.

Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard added that Pennsylvania is usually in compliance and had not had as much of an issue with funding being diverted as other states.

The bill, if enacted, will direct the FCC to determine the appropriate use of funds collected from the consumer instead of the states setting their own definition of how the funds can be used.