County Officials Warn Of Chaos If 911 Phone Surcharge Fees Don't Increase In Pennsylvania

By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania's County Commissioners are warning of chaos, if the state legislature doesn't increase the phone surcharge fees it collects to run the 9-1-1 emergency system.

The Commissioners Association says charges have been added to phone service haphazardly, as new technology emerged, so that fees ranging from a dollar to a $1.50 a month are collected in three different ways and sent to three different funds.

Together, the fees bring in about $188-million a year, but costs to run 9-1-1 services total almost $300-million.

The Commissioners want a fee of $2 across the board.

But Delaware County state representative Stephen Barrar says that would bring in too much money. He's just introduced a bill to set a flat fee of $1.65.

The Commissioners warn something must be done before June 30, when the surcharge on cell phones expires, which would end a large chunk of the revenue.