Millions of dollars which should be going for emergency communications in New York state - like 9-1-1 - are instead being diverted to other uses, the New York Post reports.

The newspaper cites a new report from the Federal Communications Commission, which found that of the $189 million the state collects annually in cellphone fees - one of those annoying charges that gets tacked onto your cellphone bill each month - 42 percent goes into the state's "general fund."

All of the money is supposed to be spent on emergency communications, under federal rules.

“This harmful behavior short-changes call centers and prevents necessary upgrades, thereby threatening the public’s safety at their most vulnerable time, or it deceives consumers by stealing their money for other spending purposes,” Michael O’Rielly of the Federal Communications Commission wrote in the  report.