The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC or Commission) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB or Bureau) seeks comment on the feasibility of allowing emergency access to providers’ Wi-Fi access points, as directed by the RAY BAUM’s Act of 2018. The RAY BAUM’s Act of 2018 requires the Commission, by March 23, 2021, to submit a study on the public safety benefits, technical feasibility and costs of: (1) making telecommunications service provider-owned Wi-Fi access points available to the general public for access to 9-1-1 services when mobile service is unavailable; (2) making non-telecommunications service provider-owned Wi-Fi access points accessible to the public for 9-1-1 services when mobile service is unavailable; and (3) other alternative means of providing the public with access to 9-1-1 services during times of emergency when mobile service is unavailable. The PSHSB invites commenters to address the above topics in their comments. Comments are due October 1, 2020 and reply comments are due October 16, 2020.
