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Illinois Lawmakers Approve Funding for 911 Centers

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Lawmakers have approve funding for 9-1-1 centers throughout Illinois.

The funding mechanism for call centers ends June 30...so this new legislation is needed to keep 9-1-1 up and running.
The legislation would also allow AT&T to abandon its old phone lines.

The telecom giant has successfully pushed similar bills in 21 other states. AT&T once held a monopoly across the country. Now it says they're competing with cell phone and cable companies.

Democratic Representative Brandon Phelps, from Harrisburg, says AT&T should be investing in new technology.
 
"We want them to use that money instead of using it on the old network, let's use it on the network. And some of the parts on the old copper network, they have to get them from Ebay."

AT&T says just 10 percent of its customers are still connected to the old network. The legislation says those users must receive four notices before they'd have to change phone service.

Most customers would not be affected. AT&T says the vast majority of homes with landlines use newer fiber-optic cables.
 

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