E-911 Bill Needed to Boost FCC Authority over VoIP Services
The FCC’s E-911 order was an important step in regulating E-911 services for VoIP providers, but legislation is needed to ensure public access to emergency services, witnesses said Thurs. in prepared statements at a Senate Commerce Committee field hearing in Great Falls, Mont. “It is important that we move quickly,” said Sen. Burns (R-Mont.). “This is a problem which we need to fix very soon.” Burns, who presided over the hearing, is sponsor of a bipartisan bill (S-1063) introduced in May (CD May 19 p1) that would mandate E-911 access for VoIP providers. The bill, which would provide liability relief for emergency call-takers, would require a national plan for implementing next generation E-911 systems.
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While paralleling the FCC order, the bill also addresses 2 areas where the FCC said it lacks authority: liability access and mandatory access to emergency services infrastructure such as selective routers, said Greg Rohde, exec. dir.-E-911 Institute, in a prepared statement. The bill also would require the executive branch to establish a plan for a citizen-activated national IP-based emergency communications system -- something that is “badly needed,” Rohde said. Congress also should consider appropriating funds to the NTIA’s Institute for Telecom Sciences for research, he said. This office could work with public safety, industry and academia to develop a next generation IP-based 911 system with more enhanced capabilities, Rohde said.
Rohde criticized the FCC for classifying VoIP services as an “information” service for regulatory purposes, which he said lets providers “avoid the obligations imposed on traditional phone service.” Congress needs to clarify to the FCC that IP-enabled voice services are telecom services, he said, and should “rein in the Commission’s efforts to find escape hatches out of the statute.” Rohde said Burns’ bill would remedy this problem by mandating access to selective routers and emergency communications systems controlled by incumbent companies.
Vonage told hearing participants Congressional action would speed VoIP E-911 deployment by giving VoIP providers liability parity with wireline and wireless operators. In addition, Vonage said, Congress’ authority may be needed to ensure that providers have access to all the network elements needed to complete an E-911 call -- a provision in the proposed bill. “The 911 network is a public trust, and should not be used as a competitive lever,” said Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron in a prepared statement. CenturyTel’s prepared testimony spoke of similar concerns.
The FCC order is a good first step, but, like other witnesses, the Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) said more action is needed. “The definition of VoIP services covered by the new rules needs to be refined and we need to find ways for call- location information to be provided automatically, without caller intervention,” APCO Pres.-elect Wanda McCarley said. It’s also important to find ways to locate VoIP callers who interconnect to the Internet from different physical locations. “We urge the Commission, VoIP providers and the public safety community to work together to find solutions as quickly as possible,” she said.
Congress and the FCC should consider adopting a rule to ensure that as-yet-undeveloped technologies are subject to 911 requirements, APCO said. The group said voice communication services that interconnect with the public switched telephone and use standard telephone numbering must provide full E-911 capability. Congress also needs to address funding for public safety access points (PSAPs) to manage IP technology upgrades, so they will be fully functional to handle E-911 services.
Federal law should ensure that nothing bars states from imposing 911 surcharges on emergency services, said National Emergency Number Assn. (NEMA) Pres. David Jones. “It is essential that Congress do nothing to compromise state and local authority to impose and collect 911 fees on all services where a customer has a reasonable expectation of being connected to 911, regardless of the type of technology,” Jones said.
Besides seeking support for the VoIP bill, Burns said, he’s pressing for full funding for the Enhance 911 Act passed last year. That law provides matching grants to PSAPs that upgrade systems to receive E-911 data from mobile phones so first responders can reach them in the same way they get to landline callers’ addresses.