Representative Kevin Yoder (R-KS) has re-introduced the Kelsey Smith Act (H.R.4889) seeking to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require Commercial Mobile Radio Service and IP-enabled voice providers to provide call location information for the telecommunications device of a user of such service to an investigative or law enforcement officer in an emergency situation involving risk of death or serious physical injury, or to respond to the user’s call for emergency services. The bill is named after 18 year old Kelsey Smith, who was abducted in broad daylight from a Target parking lot and whose body was found because of cell phone location data; but, only after a four day delay encountered by law enforcement in obtaining the cell phone data. Kelsey was found within an hour of law enforcement’s receipt of her cell location data. Other similar bills have been introduced in Congress since 2009. The current bill is before the Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.
