The
State 911 Committee met in June to discuss changing the 911 fee in Michigan and
updating the state’s law to accommodate technological demands.
Committee
Chair Tim Smith after the meeting reported to the legislature that changing the
fee from $0.19 a month to $0.25 helps create an SNC-monitored fund to help with
the expense of IP-based 911. In the annual report, all of the state’s 83
counties are delivering Enhanced 911 on both wireless and landline
communications, and 23 counties provide text-to-911 services.
Michigan’s
911 fee has not seen a recommended change since a 2006 report. As digital
technology is becoming the norm, all systems across the country are migrating
to Next Generation 911, or digital IP-based 911 networks. Currently, only 17
counties are contracted with IP-based 911 provider Peninsula Fiber Network.
There are 34 more counties under contract to migrate to PFN.
Along
with an increased fee, the committee also recommended changes in the
distribution of funding to counties, changes to auditing, and adjusting the
weighted average in the prepaid percentage from 1.92 to 2.12.