Sprint, Alltel, U.S. Cellular Fined for Not Meeting E911 Deadline

Sprint Nextel, Alltel and U.S. Cellular Corp. are facing a combined $2.8 million worth of fines from the FCC for failing to meet an E911 deadline.

Sprint faces a $1.3 million fine, Alltels is $1 million and U.S. Cellulars is $500,000. The FCC said it will fine the companies because they did not meet the Dec. 31, 2005 deadline requiring 95 percent of the wireless carriers’ subscribers to have phones that are location-capable.

The companies are the only ones being fined by the FCC for failing to meet the requirement. They have 30 days to pay or appeal the fines.

The FCC said Sprint missed the mark by the widest margin only 84 percent of its subscribers had handsets that were location-capable. A Sprint spokeswoman told the Associated Press that the carrier has met the deadline and had a 94.7 percent penetration rate in January.

Our actions today underscore the critical importance that 911 services play in the lives of the public, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said. I continue to believe that one of the Commissions highest obligations is facilitating the ability of the public safety community to help those in need. Effective enforcement of our E911 rules is a valuable and necessary tool in achieving this mission.

Alltel www.alltel.com
FCC www.fcc.gov
Sprint Nextel www.sprint.com
U.S. Cellular www.uscellular.com