Dialing 911 in the Digital Age
Feb 28, 2008
Legislation that passed the Senate earlier this week is designed to ensure that VoIP customers have access to the same enhanced 911 (E911) services that many traditional telephone customers have come to rely on in an emergency, and it calls for a new study to assess the feasibility of developing a national IP-enabled emergency network.
Known as the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act, the bill would require VoIP providers to offer E911 services to all customers (in 2005, the Federal Communications Commission issued a rule mandating that VoIP providers that use the public switched telephone network provide E911 services).
The Senate must now reconcile its bill, S. 428, with a version the House passed last November.
Tags:
Congress, FCC, public safety, VoIP
