Back in November we wrote about a hearing held in Allegheny County on the state of 911 emergency communications funding. Landline, wireless, pre-paid phone cards and devices all have a surcharge tacked on to them as the primary method of funding 911 services. As landline use has fallen and the use of wireless phones and other devices has increased, counties (which administer 911 service) found that that surcharge (which is set by the state) is not enough to cover costs.
The issue was brought up again this week in neighboring Westmoreland County and though the state officials in attendance acknowledged that the wireless surcharge is expected to expire on June 30th and County officials asked for a boost in the surcharge along with its reauthorization, one state official said no legislation on the reauthorization or a boost have been introduced but wholly expects it all to come together. That could mean it could be included in a flurry of legislation about the time that the 2014-15 fiscal year budget has to be approved.
As we pointed out last year, unless there is a massive increase in the number of communication devices subject to paying the surcharges or the Legislature comes up with an alternative method of funding 911 services that does not rely on the device itself, it is hard to see how there can’t be an increase in the charges. We also made mention of the need to look at peak time activity and scheduling.
