Alabama 911 Board

Phone bills in Alabama will show a new monthly charge of $1.60 starting Oct. 1 to support 911 emergency services statewide.

The new standardized charge replaces a hodgepodge of monthly fees that ranged from 70 cents to more than $5, depending on the type of phone and its location.

The chairman of the Alabama 911 Board, Roger Wilson, says every Alabama phone customer will now pay the same amount to support 911 services. That includes landline, cell and Internet-based phones.

Alabama consumers may notice slightly higher phone bills next month because of a law meant to help fully fund emergency dispatch services throughout the state.

Revenue from a law authorizing phone companies and wireless carriers to charge a monthly fee of $1.60 per phone to be diverted to the state's newly-created Alabama 911 Board.

The board is tasked with fully funding emergency communications districts throughout the state by redistributing revenue from the fees to city and county 911 districts.