FCC requires VoIP to clean up its 911 act

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Callers after business hours hear a recorded message that the offices are closed and that they should call 911 if there's an emergency.

In addition to the Florida situation, problems with the patchwork VoIP 911 system have included a Houston teenager who failed to reach 911 on her Vonage line to get help for her parents who were shot during a home burglary.

VoIP operators blame 911 problems on their inability to access the telephone infrastructure--owned by Verizon Communications, Qwest Communications, SBC Communications, and BellSouth--that serve the nation's 6,200 emergency call centers. In turn, those Bell companies say VoIP operators have always had access, just not under the terms they want.

"The FCC's action seems fair and demonstrates a willingness to make tough calls quickly, rather than allowing the decision-making to drag out as technology makes rules obsolete before the rules are put in place," said Glenn Reynolds, BellSouth vice president for regulatory affairs.

SBC also voiced its support for the ruling. Representatives of the other two Bell operators couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

There have also been problems with tracking people who use Internet connections in different places. With little technology available to locate VoIP callers, operators rely heavily on subscribers updating their locations, which is considered a primitive, unreliable method unlikely to meet the FCC mandate. Recognizing such limitations, the FCC in its ruling did not require VoIP operators to implement such a tracking system. Rather, the rules ask the industry to begin a more concerted effort to develop the technology for doing so.

"This whole mobile society is both a blessing and a curse. Everyone wants to do it, but nobody wants to provide the tools to manage it," said Jim Puchbauer, marketing director at Altigen Communications, a VoIP systems maker catering to small business.

In a curious twist, Qwest, which was the first to actually work with Vonage to test an enhanced 911 service nearly two years ago, has now "fallen off the radar," Vonage's Schulz said. The three other Bells have all but acquiesced to Vonage's requests for access, she said.

[Jimmu411]

The call centers don't have DSL?

It seems like you could install a VoIP line in each call center....
What am I missing here?

Has nothing to do with it

The problem has nothing to do with the connection to the call center.

The issue is that there is no method for routing internet traffic, regardless of connection type to the closest center. There is also the matter of your carrier refusing to submit ALI records to a national database so they can be pulled when you call 911. Third, too many VoIP vendors rely on their customers changing their location records when they move or take their phone on the road.

The connection is the least of the problems.

[rleuner]

Where is equality in 911 for cellular users?

Wasn't this same issue to be resolved for cellular users as well? There are more than a few people who have gone wireless with only cellular phone connections.

An interesting fact from Florida: When we had the hurricane strikes last summer, Verizon was working just fine and our Sprint wireline was out or the calls were not making it through the switching centers. We were wireless by defalt with no clear emergency 911!

Wireless 911

Wireless providers have already been mandated to meet E911 standards.

There have been some delays, notably waiting for E911-capable handsets to make it into the hands of citizens and a few providers dragging their feet, but by and large wireless E911 is moving along well.

You don't have to wait there's Packet8

You don't have to wait for the other VoIPs to get their act together for 911 Packet8 already offers what is talked about in this article.

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.packet8.net/about/e911.asp" target="_newWindow">http://www.packet8.net/about/e911.asp</a>

Except....

They are still relying on the user to enter location information. I'm telling you that won't happen consistently enough for the service to be reliable.

Not only will their information not be up to date, but they will likely also be routed to the wrong call center.

[drosen24]

fantastic

this is a great thing for voIP, i have been wanting to convert my landlines (i have 5) to voIP and keep the same numbers, but had the problem with 911.

The voIP companies may be pissed, but atleast it will save some lives.


~~drosen24

[Doc_sean]

VolP 911

It won't work here in PA., because the police ignor the 911 service anyway because of the high rate of prank calls used on cell phones, and yes I know their is a way to track cell phones for there SIM card. But we are 7 years behind the times, and the cost of upgrading is too high.

Example; about 2 years ago, my daughter was in a bad car wreck in the city of Bethlehem PA. She was in shock and tried to call 911 on her cell phone...she was cut off 2 times and listed as a prank call. Thats when she called me, and I ran the 6 blocks to her car and pried open her door that was crushed in. Well after the mess was cleaned up and we returned from the Hospital. I had a few crossed words with the desk Sgt; and the buck was passed off to the North Hampton 911 service for not following through on the call.

So if the 911 service is in bad shape here..., so will be the FCC ruling on VolP. It will be ignored here in PA as well.

the doc

[byronlord00]

Just Like Cells? So then...nothing

Still waiting in most areas for that Enhanced 911. Kids are loving it. Nothing like sending the cops on wild goose chases all night or having your buddy call in a "shots fired" call to get you out of a traffic stop.
Bush was wrong. It's not the U.N. that's obsolete it's the FCC - still operating in the '70's just like NASA.