Monroe County Control Center

 Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

 These are the questions we hope to answer here.  If you have additional questions or concerns, we have set up a ‘help line’ for you.  Simply call the ‘help line’ and leave your name and number and the Director of Communications, Mr. Gary Hoffman, will call you personally and discuss your concerns and answer any questions you may have.  The ‘help line’ number is: 

570-992-9800

What is PA Act 78?  What is PA Act 56?

 To view the actual legislation, click the link below:    

http://www.pema.state.pa.us/pema/CWP/view.asp?A=564&QUESTION_ID=256602 

 PA Act 78 is a law that was passed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and further amended by PA Act 56, allowing the telephone companies servicing areas within the state to collect a maximum of $1.50 per month per standard telephone line on behalf of local 9-1-1 centers. The actual amount of the contribution is based upon the class of each county and the amount of eligible expenses an eligible 911 system has. In the case of Monroe County, a class five (5) county, the maximum allowable contribution rate is set at $1.25 per month, per phone line.   

This contribution rate ONLY applies to regular land-line phones; phones that are connected to a jack and use standard phone company lines to access 9-1-1.  This act does not apply to internet-type voice-over-IP phone technology.  

 PA Act 56, as amended, combines the location features of Act 78, and extends the same law to wireless telephone service providers.  The wireless service providers are authorized to collect $1.00 per month for each cellular telephone on behalf of the local 9-1-1 centers.  This contribution ONLY applies to cellular phones or wireless devices.  It does not apply, at this time, to internet-type voice-over-IP phone technology.

 So as we discuss the combined Act 56/78 bills, the only real difference to the consumer is that wireless phone subscribers contribute $1.00 per month per phone line, and wired (standard) phone subscribers contribute up to a maximum of $1.50 per month per phone line.    The contribution applies to ANY phone line (number) that could possibly be used to dial 9-1-1, including any phone lines (separate numbers) attached to fax machines, modems, and the like.  By the way, the contribution only applies to each phone NUMBER, not to each phone you may have attached to that same number at your home.  The approved contribution will appear on your regular phone bill and, if applicable, on your wireless phone bill. 

Rules for determining the contribution rate are specifically defined for businesses that have multiple telephone lines, extensions, and types of service.  Please see the actual act (use the link above) for the breakdown of these rates. 

The passage of the acts resulted in each county in Pennsylvania passing local ordinances allowing the phone companies to remit the money to PEMA, who in turn, remits it to the county, who remits it to the 9-1-1 center.  It’s a little confusing, but in the end, the phone company collects money for the 9-1-1 centers, and the 9-1-1 centers use the money to offset costs in their operating budgets specifically designated as costs to receive 9-1-1 calls

 How do these two acts affect my 9-1-1 service in this county? 

Currently, the 9-1-1 center operates by charging each municipality a user fee, based on population and types of emergency service provided (local police vs. state police).  As the phone companies begin to remit the collected contributions to the 9-1-1 center, the municipal user fees will be reduced.   

Act 56 & 78 allow for only specific expenses to be covered by the money collected by the contributions.  Therefore, the 9-1-1 center will continue to charge each municipality a reduced user fee to cover expenses that are not covered by the money collected by the Acts. 

Currently, the 9-1-1 center is involved in the following projects in order to qualify to continue to receive the contributions collected:

 Monroe County remains largely rural, and as such, the majority of the locations in the county have been issued a postal address for mail delivery.  These addresses include RR, HCR and other rural addressing schemes.  These ‘mailing’ addresses are of little value to the 9-1-1 dispatcher.  Therefore, Monroe County is in the process of ‘readdressing’ the county so that all physical locations have a physical street address.  Additional information about the readdressing project is available at our website at www.monroeco911.com. 

For wireless callers, there is no physical address attached to any wireless phone, so the wireless phone companies will begin to send latitude and longitude data with each call to identify the location of the wireless caller.  This means that the 9-1-1 dispatcher will be able to locate the wireless caller, in most cases, within several meters of their physical location. 

In order to ensure that the 9-1-1 centers receive applicable data attached to each phone subscriber, whether wired or wireless, we will be making upgrades to our telephone systems.  These upgrades will allow the dispatcher to see not only the name and phone number of the caller, but their physical location, whether wired or wireless.

In addition, new Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems are being put in place to allow that location data to be matched up with a map.  The map will show the physical location of the caller as well as the designated emergency service provider for their specific location, to include fire, ambulance services, and police services.  The CAD systems will have additional features that will enhance the dispatchers’ ability to give callers pre-arrival instructions, locate additional resources, and display any previous activity at the same location. 

These services all depend on the contributions collected.  Without the contributions, the municipalities would have to pick up the costs of these projects, as well as the regular operating expenses.

 If you have any questions regarding Act 56 or Act 78, the contribution rates, or the purpose of the funding, please call our Act 56/78 HELP line number below.   If you leave your name and number, the Director of Communications will return your call as soon as possible, or at a time that is convenient for you.  This is NOT an attended phone and is NOT connected to the 9-1-1 dispatchers.  Do NOT use this line to report any emergencies!

 The ‘help line’ number is:                570-992-9800 

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Copyright © 2003 Monroe County Control Center
Last modified: November 07, 2006