New VoIP E911 Law gets Signed, Praised

Nortel also supports NET 911 Act and is pleased to see that our continued efforts for public education of E911 as well as location discovery of VoIP and nomadic IP devices in a corporate environment are reinforced and specifically called out in this important Act.

Millions of people spend much of their day in an office building using advanced VoIP communications, yet very few understand the impact that technology can have on E911 if not properly implemented and managed. Defining and enforcing standards in this environment can only save lives. We are proud to be a contributor to the solution for this growing problem.

NENA, the National Emergency Number Association has also been taking steps to encourage legislation at the state level, but the fact of the matter is that very few states (only 14 in fact)actually have any 9-1-1 laws on the books requiring enterprises to implement any additional functionality that would allow for a 9-1-1 dispatcher to obtain more accurate location information from their PBX. The saddest part of this story is that the technology actually exists, and is often left un-provisioned in many PBX systems installed today.

There have been stories in the news over the years of people who have experienced significant delays in emergency services response, or worse yet actually died, due to telephone system not having 911 implemented properly.

Thank you to all who contributed to this important legislation. Without the continued support from the telecommunications and Public Safety industry, actions like this would not be possible.

Mark Fletcher, ENP
Nortel Emergency Services Product Line Manager

NENA
MLTS Workgroup Technical Subcommittee Chair

911 Enable would like to commend those who worked to bring the NET 911 Act into effect. It is especially pleasing to see the requirement for a plan to migrate to a national IP-enabled emergency network, particularly the specification that this plan address the challenge posed by nomadic devices and business multiline telephone systems. 911 Enable has long stressed the importance of accurately and precisely locating enterprise callers, whether they are calling from an on-site phone, from home, or from the road. As telecommuting and mobility-enabled IP communications technologies continue to grow in popularity, the need to implement adequate E911 services has become critical. 911 Enable hopes that the NET 911 Act will pave the way for much-needed – and potentially life-saving – changes to the nation’s emergency network.