July 15, 2016 – New Jersey Wireless Association’s (NJWA) President Rob Ivanoff and Vice President Dominic Villecco have made recent strides in the organization’s fight for fair distribution of 911 fees in the State of New Jersey. The issue addresses the lack of distribution of collected 911 fees currently occurring in New Jersey. Thanks to recent and successful media outreach, the leaders of the organization have gained traction in highlighting this statewide problem.
Besides NJWA’s continued efforts, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden was one of the first-and most recent-municipal workers to step in front of the media and demand attention, questioning the loss of funding for Monmouth County’s 911 dispatch center since 2010. Ivanoff backed up Sheriff Golden by explaining where the funds are going, and exposing the proof behind the numbers during an interview on July 11.
Click here to read the article and watch the video on NJTV News, or watch below.
July 13, only two days later, RadioResource Media Group’s MissionCritical Communications magazine featured a three-page article titled “Where Do Your State’s 9-1-1 Fees Go?” written by Dominic Villecco. Similar to the information Ivanoff addressed in NJTV News’ segment, Villecco plunges head-first into the details of the State’s 911 fee diversion, attacking root of the problem. Villecco’s article is at the forefront of the July issue, found on pages eight to 13.
After Villecco was appointed chair of NJWA’s Public Safety Committee, the issue was brought forth and adopted by the Association. Ivanoff and Villecco have been fighting this issue for as long as eight years with continued, gradual growth in inspiring others to demand a policy change. They have filed four FCC annual proceedings to bring attention to the problem and have taken steps to educate state legislators and congressional representatives on the issue.
New Jersey’s 911 fee diversion affects every commercial mobile user in the state, with an extra 90 cents being taken from each user’s monthly phone bill. Now, lawmakers are proposing to raise the fee another nine cents. Ivanoff, Villecco and the rest of NJWA are committed to changing how 911 fees are collected and distributed before the rate is increased and continually diverted to other governmental departments leaving 911 centers without funds, updated software or the ability to effectively help the public.
NJWA’s mission is to be a reliable and ethical forum for the wireless industry. It is a place where professionals turn to discuss and seek to resolve state and local issues and concerns. The Association also provides a platform for cultivating and maintaining relationships for all professionals involved in the wireless telecommunications industry.
If you would like more information on New Jersey 911 fee diversions and NJWA’s continued efforts, contact info@newjerseywireless.org.
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