LOCATING PARENTS THROUGH CELLULAR TELEPHONE RECORDS

OCSE Locate Sources Initiative

• State & Cell Phone Companies Interaction
  • 84% of the US population will have cell phones (233 million) by the end of 2007
    • Projected to have 100% saturation by the year 2013 which will exceed US population
      • Estimated 322 million cell phones
      • Total US population will not all have cell phones
        • 18-20% will have multiple cell phones
  • Landlines versus cell phone usage
    • Cell phone lines surpassed landlines in 2005
      • 181.1 million cell phone lines versus 177.9 million landlines

OCSE Locate Sources Initiative

• State & Cell Phone Companies Interaction
  • Virginia's success prompted other States to contact and negotiate processes with several cell phone companies
    • 17 States are actively or considering interfacing cell phone companies
    • North Carolina law exempts cell phone companies from providing locate information
    • Oregon needs further legislation for cell phone companies compliance
    • Legislation
      • Iowa, Maine, and Louisiana passed cell phone legislation
      • Illinois has proposed cell phone legislation
      • North Carolina cannot change their law until 2009
    • Several States have been successful obtaining locate information
      • Both cell phone companies & States have identified concerns/issues

OCSE Locate Sources Initiative

• State Issues
  • Lack of Standardization
    • Cell phone companies
      • Unique data elements requirements
      • Different file transmission methods
  • Subpoenas
    • Multiple subpoenas versus single subpoenas
    • Subpoena compliance
  • Lack of Automation
    • Most cell phone companies have no automated process
    • Manual process is time consuming
    • Shortfall of resources
  • Multiple Agreements

OCSE Locate Sources Initiative

• Cell Phone Companies Issues
  • Lack of Standardization
    • Unique data elements requirements for each State
      • Some States have required data elements that cannot be provided
      • State legislation mandating data elements
  • Volume
  • Data Security
  • Customer Privacy
  • Lack of Resources

OCSE Locate Sources Initiative

• Final Analysis and Recommendation
  • Increased volume of subpoenas may deter progress and dissuade cell phone companies from working cooperatively with States
  • Lack of standardized process is hampering progress
    • Reduces collections and locate efforts
  • Mutually beneficial for all States & cell phone companies to work together
    • Resolve State and cell phone companies issues
    • Develop processes that are advantageous to States and cell phone companies
  • Form National Cell Phone Work Group

Graphic

What We Learned About the Cell Phone Industry

• You are tied to your provider
• The percentage of wireless-only U.S. households is rapidly increasing
• 160 wireless providers

BACKGROUND

• Coordinated Project between the Office of the Attorney General and Virginia DCSE
• Authority under Federal Law 42 USC 666(c)(1)(D)
• Authority under State Law 63.2-1902 and 63.2-1903

ADMINISTRATIVE SUBPOENA DEVELOPMENT

• Issued to track down some of the hardest to locate parents, after all other locate efforts exhausted
• Initially issued to seven of the largest cell phone companies in Virginia: Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular (now AT&T), Alltel, Ntelos and Nextel
• Registered Agents/Service of Process

PROGRESS TO DATE

• 4,980 subpoenas have been issued on 1040 parents
• 40-50% Hit Rate
• Multiple companies often have information on a parent

Data Matches

• Voluntary matches are underway quarterly with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint
• No state legislation required
• Additional companies to follow shortly
• Matches are mutually beneficial, providing a much more efficient and less time-consuming process than preparing and answering individual subpoenas

Initial Data Matches

• SSNs submitted - 268,306
• New, unduplicated cell phone numbers obtained:
  • AT&T - 17,731
  • Verizon - 15,388
  • Sprint - 13,085
  • Nextel - 5,763

  ---

  
  52,000 or 20%

National Cell Phone Work Group

• Mission: Establish a standardized, automated national process to obtain cell phone information to locate parents
• Co-chairpersons:
  • Kerry Newcombe, OCSE
  • Nick Young, Virginia
• Initial Meeting: June 26-27, Seattle, WA

Work Group Participants

• Colorado - Mary Clair
• Iowa - Carol Eaton
• New Jersey - Eileen Coughlin
• North Carolina - Barry Miller
• Oregon - Butch Castor
• Pennsylvania - Tom Scheaffer
• San Diego, CA - Jeff Grissom
• Texas - Charles Smith
• Virginia - Cindy Coiner
• OCSE Region X - Nancy Mathieson

Cell Phone Work Group Imperatives

• Universal Access
• Simple
• Cost Effective
• Mutually Beneficial
• Establishes Partnerships

Cell Phone Work Group Goals

• Portability
• Collaborative effort
• Efficient use of automation
• Economies of scale
• Enhanced return on investment
• Standardized data elements

Next Steps

• Establish cost effective, mutually beneficial partnerships with cell phone companies
• Establish standardized input/output data elements
• Centralize and standardize the data matching process
• Seek input from IV-D Directors and cell phone companies

Future Ideas

• Cellular Telephone Locate Services
• GPS Locate
• Internet Service Providers - Email
• Cable Television Companies
• Grocery Store Valued Customer Cards

Contact Information

• Cindy Coiner, Policy/Legislative Specialist
  (804) 726-7433
  cindy.coiner@dss.virginia.gov
• Nick Young, Deputy Commissioner
  Director, Child Support Enforcement
  (804) 726-7417
  nick.young@dss.virginia.gov