WASHINGTON-Public-safety advocates last week told President George W. Bush that Voice over Internet Protocol services need to be required to have access to enhanced 911 services regardless of how VoIP is otherwise regulated.
“The public has an expectation that telephone services will provide 911 and E911 capability, regardless of whether the telephone operates on the public-switched telephone network, wireless networks, or the Internet. Yet, at present, there is a very real likelihood that a 911 call from a VoIP telephone will be lost, delayed or misrouted,” said Gregory Ballentine, president of the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials.
APCO has long called for VoIP to be required to provide E911 services.
The Federal Communications Commission said last year it had jurisdiction over VoIP, but is conducting a larger proceeding on what, if any, regulation should be imposed on VoIP.
“APCO is deeply concerned that the rapid deployment of VoIP services will have a serious, negative impact on the provision of 911 emergency communications across the nation. We believe the FCC needs to move quickly to require that VoIP services provide full access to 911 now, before it is too late. Such action should be separated from, and in advance of, any FCC determination as to whether VoIP is otherwise subject to telecommunications regulation,” said Ballentine. “Enforceable regulation is necessary to ensure that solutions are sufficient to satisfy the public interest and apply to all VoIP providers. Such 911 requirements are needed even if the FCC determines that application of other telecom regulation to VoIP is unnecessary.”
A day after releasing the letter to President Bush, APCO released sound tests regarding the use of VoIP to call 911. The tests showed that VoIP did not perform as well as wireless, said APCO.
“While the impact of VoIP on public-safety continues to be debated, the VoIP 911 sounds test is an important step in determining the true impact on the front-line call-taker and on the general public,” said APCO. “This test demonstrated that there are many operational issues impacting the delivery of 911 services for VoIP telephone subscribers.”
APCO conducted the tests in conjunction with The Consultant Registry and the Georgia Public-Safety Training Center.
The FCC said it was necessary to decide which regulatory authority ruled over VoIP even though it was not yet prepared to decide what regulation was necessary because of a pending court case. Vonage Holding Corp. had appealed a Minnesota decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. Minnesota said Vonage had to be certified as a telecommunications provider. Certified telecom providers in Minnesota are subject to various regulations, including requirements regarding 911.
CTIA said the FCC’s jurisdiction decision recognized the similarities between wireless and VoIP.
The Senate Commerce Committee last year placed a stake in the ground when it said E911 was so important that it wanted to require VoIP carriers to provide E911 now rather than wait to see if VoIP becomes accepted and then require it, as was the case with wireless carriers.
The committee passed an amendment to a VoIP regulation bill that would have allowed states to assess 911 taxes on VoIP customers and would have required the FCC to adopt rules within six months of final passage requiring VoIP carriers to offer E911 service comparable with that required of other telecom carriers.
The Senate never considered the VoIP bill so the 911 language never became law.
