Berwyn, PA, June 24, 2010 - TruePosition, Inc., a leading provider of wireless location technologies and solutions and a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, today announced that Michael Amarosa, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for TruePosition, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
The topic of the hearings was to review and clarify the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA). ECPA was designed to create guidelines for law enforcement agencies when accessing electronic records during criminal investigations. Since technology has advanced tremendously in 24 years and the types of electronic records that can be captured and stored have evolved, courts have interpreted ECPA inconsistently.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, said the following as part of his opening statement, “This Subcommittee’s exploration of where the appropriate balance may lie with respect to location information must surely include a lesson in location based technologies and services. After all, when ECPA was passed back in 1986, approximately eight years before the GPS system was fully activated for public use, the only options one had for locating oneself on the road were still a road atlas or a gas station. Now, as we will see, the GPS is supplemented by an array of different location technologies and the myriad applications they support.”
The following is the text of Michael Amarosa’s oral testimony, as prepared (in its entirety):
“Good morning Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Sensenbrenner and Members of the Subcommittee. My name is Michael Amarosa and I am a Senior Vice President of TruePosition, Inc. It is a privilege to appear as part of the Subcommittee’s examination of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.”
“Wireless technology plays an ever increasing role in the daily communications of Americans, including during emergencies. Of the 300,000 emergency calls made to 9-1-1 daily, over half are now from wireless phones. This shift has made the ability to locate wireless calls the core element of our nation’s emergency response 9-1-1 structure.”
“Expeditious and effective emergency response has been at the center of my professional career. I spent 24 years working in public safety. It was my honor to manage the largest 911 center in the nation, that of the New York City Police Department. During my tenure, we completed major upgrades of the 911 systems and infrastructure needed to support NYPD’s mission. Since leaving the NYPD, my role with TruePosition has given me opportunity to work with a range of agencies in tackling the ongoing and heightened national effort to bring modern technology to support emergency response, preparedness, and investigation.”
“Long before wireless technology became prominent, policy makers and emergency response officials embraced the critical need to quickly locate individuals facing an emergency. The faster help arrives, the more likely lives are to be saved. This premise underlies the FCC’s mandate that wireless operators provide public safety agencies with location information in an emergency. That requirement is known as Enhanced 9-1-1. It dictates that the location of wireless 9-1-1 calls must be transmitted to the appropriate emergency call center.”
“TruePosition’s very existence has evolved from this wireless location technology mandate. We are the leading provider of location determination solutions. Currently, two location technologies address the FCC’s location accuracy requirements. These are GPS and Uplink-Time-Difference of Arrival, or U-TDOA.”
“Both GPS and U-TDOA use what we know about radio waves. We are able to measure the distances from an unknown point, such as a cell phone, to known points, such as satellites or transmitter towers. Because we know that radio waves travel at a constant velocity, we are then able to make calculations to locate phones.”
“U-TDOA differs from GPS in that it is network-based and works in virtually any environment. It is not affected by obstructions such as tall buildings or concrete walls. It is able to locate all mobile phones, including those that are not GPS-enabled. Its accuracy is very high, typically falling within 50 meters.”
“The technology is extremely useful to law enforcement. Police used U-TDOA to rescue a woman kidnapped in Hamilton County, Ohio, who was locked in a car trunk. GPS was not an option because it could not penetrate the metal trunk. A U-TDOA location platform allowed police to constantly monitor the victim’s location and apprehend the kidnapper.”
“In addition to serving 9-1-1 calls, wireless location technology has evolved to include several public and private sector applications, including locating individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s and autistic children. It also can locate contraband cell phones in prisons as an alternative to cell phone jamming.”
“Wireless technology has revolutionized communication. Unfortunately it is also used by criminals and terrorists. In the 2004 Madrid bombings, terrorists used improvised explosive devices, to attack morning commuter trains, killing 191 people and wounding over 1,800 people. Mobile phones were used to detonate those IEDs. High accuracy location technologies are a crucial element in the preparedness, investigation and response to these dangers.”
“TruePosition’s U-TDOA technology delivers two key requirements of mission-critical location – high accuracy and high reliability. It can provide information relating to the details of the criminal conduct and be an important tool in preventing tragedy. It can present an additional dimension to the comprehensive information picture that intelligence and law enforcement officials need.”
“TruePosition’s security solutions capture and analyze wireless data, including current activities, mobile events, and interactions. The technology can identify and track any mobile phone or device in real time, in any environment, and with high accuracy and reliability. It can be deployed in areas such as border security, critical infrastructure protection, and law enforcement to aid forensic intelligence.”
“Location technology has contributed to saving lives and personal property. To allow for the continued use and growth of this life-saving technology, I would urge that any government action in the area of wireless location technology remain technology neutral.”
“I commend the Subcommittee on its efforts to bring the Electronic Communications Privacy Act up to date and appreciate very much the opportunity to appear before you today. Thank you.”
In addition to Michael Amarosa, the others that participated in the hearing were Matt Blaze, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Richard Littlehale, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Technical Services Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; Marc Zwillinger, Zwillinger Genetski, LLP; and, The Honorable Stephen Smith, United States Magistrate Judge, Southern District of Texas.
About TruePosition
TruePosition (www.trueposition.com) is the global leader in location determination and intelligence solutions that help protect citizens, combat crime, and save lives. TruePosition location solutions meet the mission-critical requirements of enterprises and government agencies. These solutions include future-proof technologies, innovative applications, and comprehensive networking and systems services. TruePosition has more patents, technical expertise, and operational experience in wireless location than any other company in the world. Every day more than 100 million people depend on location services supported by TruePosition technology. TruePosition is owned by Liberty Media Corporation.
For more information on TruePosition, please contact:
Brian Varano
TruePosition
Director of Marketing
brian.varano@trueposition.com
+ 1 610 680 2251