Funding
The 9-1-1 service in the Cameron County 9-1-1 area is funded by a 9-1-1-service fee assessed on all local exchange access lines in the Network's territory. The Board of Managers sets the fee level each year as a part of the annual budget. Cameron County 9-1-1 Emergency Communication District assesses a flat fee of $.50/line/month for residential customers and business customers. The fees are invoiced through the telephone bills of customers by all telephone companies and are then transmitted to the Network to fund the 9-1-1 system.
In Texas, a wireless 9-1-1 service fee is also assessed at $.50 per subscriber number per month. These fees are transmitted to the State Comptrollers' Office monthly and are distributed to 9-1-1 entities based on population.
Cameron County 9-1-1 Emergency Communication District is currently participating in a statewide study to determine the most appropriate funding mechanism for subscribers of telephone service through Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other broadband technologies.