It was a headline-grabber indeed for those who chose to present a change by the West Virginia Public Service Commission as meaning cell phone BILLS increasing 10% in the state. But the reality is significantly less frightening.

Beginning July 1, cell phone users in the Mountain State will notice a 10.2% increase in the wireless enhanced 911 fee (WE911) on their bills. There will also be an 8-cent wireless tower fee and a 29-cent public safety wireless fee. The total amount of the fee will go from $3.64 to $4.38. That’s 74 cents a month; $8.88 over an entire year.

Breathing a little better now?

This isn’t money that stays in Charleston, either. Though the money is collected by the Public Service Commission and the fee is regularly recalculated by lawmakers, it is returned to counties based on a formula for their use.

According to the PSC, the fees are used to improve the effectiveness and reliability of 911 services. That’s important in an age when cell phones are increasingly the only means of communication for individuals and families.

A similar fee has been collected from landline users for years.

According to the National Emergency Number Association, nationwide there are an average of approximately 240 million calls to 911 each year. There are parts of the country in which approximately 80% of those calls come from wireless devices.

That percentage might not be quite as high in West Virginia, but it is easy to see why counties and the Public Service Commission want to ensure they’ve got the financial support to keep 911 as responsive as possible — for everybody.