e911

VoIP Inc.

Doug Mohney — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:05:26 -0500

Founded: 2004

Status: Died Feb. 2008

What did it do: Vonage clone/pay-per-ad call software

At its peak, VoIP Inc. was a CLEC in 40 states, had an E911 solution, was terminating lots of traffic, announced deals with Google and eBay for its pay-per-call ad solution...and then, abruptly shut its doors in February 2008. The company laid off its 25 member engineering staff, wrote off $24 million in losses and stiffed Verizon out of $8 million in the process.

Shareholders demanded an SEC investigation as the stock price plunged from $8.40 a share down to under a penny within a year.

VoIP Inc. started its shady life as Millennia Tea Masters and ended up as a hastily assembled set of parts, including the eGlobalphone VoIP service launched in 2004. In its November 3Q07 earnings report, the company ‘fessed up to not making a profit since starting operations in 2004, having experienced negative cash flows from operations and being dependent upon the issuance of debt and common stock to fund operations and capital expenditures. On top of that, independent auditors said they had substantial doubt about VoIP Inc.'s ability to survive. And they were right.

FCC issues E911 regs, but mobile VoIP a headache

Doug Mohney — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:15:01 -0400

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued regulations this week for VoIP service providers to offer enhanced 911 (E911) call services to all customers, as required under the New And Emerging Technologies (NET911) Improvement Act of 2008.

Under the NET 911 Act, interconnected VoIP providers have the obligation to provide 911 and E911 services in accordance with existing FCC requirements. In addition, each interconnected VoIP provider has the right, like any other carrier, to access capabilities from other carriers to deliver 911/E911 services.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is concerned that there's no specific guidance on what capabilities could be used to help determine the origin of a 911 call; this is a big deal with mobile VoIP customers when they roam outside of their service provider's footprint. Without "last known call" information included in some fashion, there's not enough data to provide to the appropriate public safety officials to send help.

Other FCC Commissions disagree, saying that the FCC order reflects the language and intent of the NET 911 act and that it is too early to lock into last-known call as a required technology before the public safety community and the FCC have had a better look at other options.

Cell phone and VoIP providers are already required to offer 911 and E911 services, but mobile IP phone service adds another complication because a client is not tied into a specific location or cellular system that could be used to locate the caller. The NET 911 Act extends existing 911 service requirements for wireless providers to mobile VoIP providers.

For more:
- Government Computer News coverage of FCC's 911 wireless VoIP rules. Article.

PSAPs migrating to IP

Pete Wylie — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:07:33 -0400

Public safety access points (PSAPs) are increasingly shifting to IP-based systems, according to PlantCML, which provides communications solutions to more than 4,000 public safety entities in the U.S. and Canada. The firm announced two adoptions of its Sentinel Patriot IP-based emergency call answering system recently, one in Jasper, Ala., and the other in Campbell Co., Wyo.

Sentinel Patriot helps dispatchers answer and process emergency calls more efficiently by creating redundancies and enabling easier data sharing among local PSAPs. IP-based PSAP systems allow multiple communication types, wireline, cellular, VoIP, etc., to be accessed and processed over the same interface.

PlantCML officials reported that some emergency service providers, reluctant to change to IP-based networks in the past are migrating now that security has increased and the underlying technology is more reliable.

"We're starting to see PSAPs more in tune with the idea that IP is coming whether they want it or not," said Jeremy Smith, technical solutions engineer with PlantCML, in an urgentcomm.com story. "They realize they need to start putting the pieces in place to prepare for that migration. ... Budget cycles are enabling PSAPs to buy solutions and packages to prepare."

Some PSAPs are still worried about hackers and security concerns. But when secure firewalls are implemented as part of the PSAP IP-based communications strategy, first responders can feel safe that they're providing more efficient and accurate service, without damaging security threats.

For more:
- see the urgentcomm.com story here

VoIP test calls catching on

Doug Mohney — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:08:14 -0400

Out in St. Joseph County, Ind., you can make a test call to 911 with your VoIP service.

The good folks at the St. Joseph County police communications center allow the citizens of the area to arrange a test call to double check E-911 service functionality for your VoIP service. According to the South Bend Tribune, citizens can simply pick up the VoIP phone, dial 911, and tell the operator it is a test call to make sure the right address is popping up for the number.

Public safety dispatches in St. Joe believe VoIP service providers' 911 coverage is as reliable as regular landlines. But citizens should make sure the location address for the phone is correct, as problems can arise when bills are sent to one place and the phone is in a different geographic location.

For more:
- South Bend Tribune highlights VoIP 911 test calls. Article.

Scoping out NG 911

Doug Mohney — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:17:39 -0400

Next generation (NG) 911 technology may be available much sooner than anyone thought, opening up new capabilities for the public and first responders.

Driven in part by the wireless industry, NG 911 IP-based services will enable citizens to reach first responders "any time, anywhere from any device," reports The Telegraph. Today's voice-based processes for reaching public safety will be replaced by a system capable of handling text messages, pictures and videos, as well as delivering pictures and videos to first responder mobile data terminals in police squad cars and fire trucks.

In addition, an IP-based network would also have the potential to easily route and reroute calls and data, so if one public safety call center was overwhelmed or unable to respond (think hurricane), calls could be sent to another center.

Cost is likely to be an issue with more expensive outlays for networking services required in a broadband, multimedia-centric world.

For more:
- The Telegraph (of Alton, IL) reports on next generation 911 VoIP services. Article

Related articles
FCC discusses new 911 VoIP rules
New VoIP E911 Law gets Signed, Praised

FCC discusses new 911 VoIP rules

Doug Mohney — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:35:53 -0400

On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a notice for establishing rules on how E911 systems would handle calls from IP phones.

Enhanced 911 calls go to around 6,000 call centers - public safety answering points (PSAPs) - around the country. Under the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FCC wants to make sure VoIP providers have access to the capabilities they need to provide both basic 911 and E911 services.

The FCC wants to make sure 911 works the same way, regardless where a call is made. The Commission also wants to make sure calls coming from mobile phones or VoIP provide "meaningful" automatic location information. It is going through with the NPRM to comply with the newly enacted "New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008."

For more:
- FCW.com reports on VoIP 911. Article

Related articles
New VoIP E911 Law gets Signed, Praised
The ultimate E911 compliance test: Dial

New VoIP E911 Law gets Signed, Praised

Doug Mohney — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:03:26 -0400

Signed into law by President Bush last week, the "New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008" is winning praise from Vonage and others.

The new law seeks to ensure phone calls made through VoIP get the same access and protections as other carriers when hooking into 911 services, including rights of interconnection, as a commercial mobile service. States can also collect fees for 911 or E911 services from VoIP service providers so long as those fees don't exceed those imposed upon subscribers of other services.

Vonage is happy because carriers now have to treat them as an equal, while the VON Coalition gets a national plan for a "next generation" 911 system using VoIP and other technologies to provide lots of bells and whistles for emergency communications.

Of course, there's the little matter that about 50 percent of U.S. counties, boroughs and parishes do not have E911 capabilities.

For more:
- FCW.com new VoIP E-911 law report

Related articles:
The ultimate E911 compliance test: Dial
911 bill passes House

10 Ways to Make Your VoIP Rollout Easier

Doug Mohney — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:40:58 -0400

It's not likely to make David Letterman, but Tech Republic has documented 10 ways to make your VoIP rollout easier. It's nice to save money and provide delivery of voice messages to e-mail boxes, but making the switch to IP telephony "can be a little scary."

Number one on the list is "Assign Responsibility" because sometimes there's a split between the phone people and the IT department. When VoIP comes in, IT personnel might not be familiar with the requirements for telephony applications. In order to get them familiar, step 2 is to plan a multi-stage rollout to avoid the risks involved in switching all the phones over to VoIP at the same time. Don't want to find out that someone didn't properly program the gear and not have phone service until IT figures out what is wrong.

Power and cooling get their own considerations, as does considering legal and safety issues with VoIP. E911 compliance gets a paragraph discussion, including considering options when the power and the Internet connection go down.

For more:
- Tech Republic's 10 Ways to make your VoIP Rollout Easier

Related articles:
Dialaphone's Top 10 reasons VoIP isn't mainstream
The ultimate E911 compliance test: Dial

The ultimate E911 compliance test: Dial

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

One of the ongoing concerns with VoIP has been the ability of service providers to effectively deliver a 911 call to the appropriate authorities. In an ideal world a VoIP-transported 911 call should go directly to the closest public safety access point (PSAP) and display both the phone number you are using as well as the location of the phone.

Public safety officials in Lee County, Fla. have come up with a quick and easy way for VoIP subscribers to verify their 911 service should work as defined: Call them. Specifically, Lee County Public Safety is asking people with VoIP service to set up an appointment to test their service to see if 911 works as advertised. Users have to call the County 911 program manager on his (non-911) phone line to schedule a time for a trial call, then call 911 at the specified time to verify both caller ID information and address associated with the phone number.

Testing has been going on for a few weeks, but so far only a few test calls a day have taken place. Officials would prefer "thousands" of test calls, since anywhere from 2 percent to 20 percent of VoIP services may either not have 911 functioning correctly or may have the wrong address with the registered phone number. Neither Vonage nor Comcast will tell officials how many customers they have; public safety officials estimate the two providers have 3,000 or more subscribers in Lee County.

For more:
- Lee County News-press Com 911 Testing article

Related articles:
e911 bill provides VoIP liability protection
House gives nod to VoIP E911
FCC clarifies e911 accuracy requirements

Revamping VoIP Regs Down Under

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced a new three-strand approach to VoIP regulation. First, the government agency has been reviewing how existing regulation applies to the services now available and will figure out what priorities are necessary. Secondly, it will "engage with industry and consumers." Third, it will put a specific compliance program into place.

As a part of the strategy, ACMA will advise VoIP providers how regulations apply to them and outline the types of services that are subject to regulation. There's a lot of evangelism on the drawing board, including industry seminars and meeting directly with interested providers.

VoIP has (surprise!) been a gray area for Oz telecom regulation. At last count, there were 269 VoIP providers, but there were no percentage listed of those who were providing PSTN-equivalent services. If a provider is delivering and receiving calls to standard phone numbers, it is expected to comply with all the rules of a standard phone service, but the rules have not been strictly applied.

Tightening up emergency call service access - 000 is Oz's version of 911 - and implementing enhanced 911-type services are among the priorities, with stiff penalties hinted for non-compliance moving forward.

For more:
- The VoIP News piece on ACMA VoIP Regulation
- ACMA VoIP Regulation Detail on its website.
- IT Wire's ACMA VoIP story

Related articles:
VoIP-outs stir regulation agitation
Top VoIP regulatory trends for 2008

SPOTLIGHT: E911 gets Senate approval

Tom Burton — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:53 -0500

VoIP users are one step closer to getting full 911 emergency services after the Senate finally passed the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act this week. The bill was proposed by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK). A similar bill passed in the House last year. The sponsor of that bill, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, John Dingell (D-Mich.), said he thought the two bills could easily be reconciled. The Senate bill requires all VoIP providers to offer enhanced 911 (E911) services to all subscribers. This will connect emergency callers to a local operator and their details (phone number, address, etc.) will be transmitted automatically. This follows several cases where emergency calls have gone astray, including one Vonage caller who was directed to the Vonage service center and then put on hold. For more: Report

U.K. mandates VoIP emergency calling

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Britain has joined the U.S. to mandate the enabling of emergency calls from U.K.-based VoIP services. The new rules formulated by telco regulator Ofcom will come into effect Sept. 8 and follow a survey that showed 78 percent of VoIP users couldn't access emergency numbers, or were unsure if they could.

The new rules will apply to "VoIP out" providers, which allow users to make calls to normal phone numbers but not receive them, as well as to "two-way VoIP" providers. But Ofcom said services that are only for international callers and click-to-call services, where users can only call a pre-selected number or limited set of numbers, are excluded.

For More:
- Ofcom emergency calling Release
- BBC Report

Related articles:
- FCC gives VoIP service providers 4 months to launch 911 Report
- e911 bill provides VoIP liability protection Report

911 bill passes House

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

The House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring large telcos to connect VoIP providers to the carrier's 911 emergency networks. VoIP providers will also have to offer enhanced 911, or E-911 services, which pinpoints the caller's location. The 911 Modernization and Public Safety Act also requires the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration to establish a national IP-based emergency dialing network for both video and data.

During the California wildfires last month, a number of VoIP users complained they did not get emergency evacuation calls because unlike traditional phone users, their numbers were not handed over to the emergency services. About 98 million U.S. residents live in areas where VoIP providers don't have access to 911 networks, according to Representative Bart Gordon (D-Tenn).

More Reports:
- Houses passes Bill to streamline VoIP 911 Report

Related Articles:
- Vonage customers miss out on evacuation warnings Report
- 911 from the public safety angle Report

ALSO NOTED: VoIP strategic not tactical; Red Sky connects biz to 911; and much more ...

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:52 -0400

> VoIP is strategic, not tactical. Analysis

> RedSky's new E911 AnywhereTM service provides location tracking, 911 call routing for IP phones. Press Release

> U4EA announces expansion into SMB sector. Press Release

VoIP customers miss evacuation warnings

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

The emergency phone warning system used to notify residents about this weeks California fires was not able to reach VoIP phone users and houses with only cell phones. E-week reports residents with cell phones and VoIP phones reported not getting the calls to evacuate because the system can only reach fixed address numbers but not so called "nomadic" services such as cell phones and VoIP numbers. Nearly half a million residents were asked to evacuate as fires destroyed over 1000 homes. Vonage is the largest VoIP provider in California and a number of Vonage customers wrote complaints about not getting an emergency warning on the independent Vonage-forum.com.

Vonage spokesman Charles Sahner said Vonage was aware of the problem VOIP carriers have with "traditional emergency notification systems, which are designed to work with the traditional analog landlines -- namely, the old AT&T system. These systems [including Reverse 911] are not designed for 'nomadic' systems like cell phones or VOIP," Sahner said. "They use the old database of land line numbers. We've been working with state and local officials for a long time in an effort to get everybody on the same page. The emergency-system people need to realize that the world is moving to other services like cells and VOIP, and that these lists of numbers should be included with all the older land line numbers."

For More:
- Read this eWeek Article

Related Articles:
911 from the public safety angle Report
House gives nod to VoIP E911 Article

House gives nod to VoIP E911

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The FCC began levying fees on cable operators for access to E911 systems--now, Congress is ready to tell the telcos they must provide direct access to the E911 backbone for cable companies and other VoIP service providers.

Just out of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, the legislation is intended to make sure all phone customers have equal access to E911, regardless of the technology on which their calls are carried.

There's more to the bill, of course, including a requirement that the 911 Implementation and Coordination Office develop a plan for moving the national 911 infrastructure to an IP-based multi-mode system. The next step for the bill is the Energy and Commerce Committee.

For more:
- eWeek has the complete article here

Related articles:
FCC clarifies e911 accuracy requirements Report
Ooma chief talks with Fierce VoIP Interview

e911 bill provides VoIP liability protection

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:59:54 -0400

An e911 bill circulating on Capital Hill would give VoIP providers the same liability protection as other voice providers, according to Bill Wilhelm with Bingham McCutchen. If H.R. 3403 becomes law, it will protect VoIP providers from litigation if they fail to deliver a 911 call but can prove they tried.

Wilhelm told FierceVoIP that the rest of bill codifies what the Federal Communications Commission already has mandated. FCC rules require VoIP providers to tell subscribers they may lose 911 capabilities if the power or broadband goes down. It also requires that 911 calls are routed similarly to those transmitted via wireline calls. An inquiry remains open at the commission on how to keep tabs on where VoIP calls originate. Right now, the e911 system has no way of knowing when VoIP subscribers move to a new physical location.

The FCC last week gave mobile service providers five years to be able to track all 911 calls made from cell phones. The issue has taken on more urgency since about one-seventh of Americans now rely exclusively on mobile phones. Commissioner Robert McDowell had doubts about the order, saying a "broad array of entities--wireless service providers, technology vendors and public safety--have told us that we are not yet in a position to devise a plan for rolling out a system of improved wireless e911 location accuracy. I hope that these predictions turn out to be incorrect."

For More:
- PC World provides details of the FCC order here
- Caron Carlson of InternetNews.com covered the introduction of H.R. 3403 here

Feedback due Monday on FCC's e911 docket

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:59:55 -0400

Comments are due Monday on the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on e911 locational tracking requirements. The notice seeks feedback on technologies and policies necessary to make sure cell phone and VoIP users who call 911 can be found by emergency responders.

It also requests comments on just how much geographic area a carrier has to cover to meet enhanced 911 requirements, as well as how to test accuracy compliance. For wireless VoIP, the commission tentatively concluded that providers must employ "automatic location technology that meets the same accuracy standards which apply to providers of commercial mobile radio services."

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said he was concerned that current e911 locational capabilities were inadequate.

"What that means, in plain terms, is that when someone dials 911, the emergency call taker may not have information that is good enough to accurately locate where the call is coming from, or more importantly, the location of person who is in need of emergency assistance," he said at an e911 Institute forum in Washington, DC, held in July. "It's a sobering and upsetting scenario to have happening."

Unfortunately, there is no more certain test for e911 than a real-world scenario. For the time being, it's probably best to take note of one's surroundings whenever possible rather than rely on mobile voice tracking. That only happens flawlessly on teevee.

For more:
- The FCC docket is here
- Comments can be filed through the FCC's online system here

FCC levies VoIP fees on cable operators

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The feds have ordered cable operators to give up a piece of their VoIP action. The Federal Communications Commission ruled earlier this week that cable VoIP is subject to regulatory fees.

The key passage: "we observed that providers of interconnected VoIP16 services are now required to contribute to the Universal Service Fund, and we tentatively concluded that the interconnected VoIP providers should also pay regulatory fees….based on revenues reported…at the same rate as interstate telecommunications service providers."

The fees are based on a percentage of revenue, including revenues generated from bundled services. The FCC collects regulatory fees to fund its operations. It should be noted that e911 fees are a different animal; collected by the service provider from customers in order to provide e911 as required by the FCC.

For more:
- The 75-page FCC order is available here
- Ted Hearn of Multichannel News covers the FCC order here
- There's an e911 101 in The New York Times here

711 opens VoIP door a little wider

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:59:55 -0400

First it was CALEA and E911. Now VoIP providers also must support 711 functionality to enable the disabled to take advantage of VoIP. While it makes manufacturing products and providing services more complex, it's nice to know that people who are hard of hearing or speech impaired can enjoy the benefits of VoIP like the rest of us. In addition to offering functionality, VoIP providers must contribute to the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) fund. TRS helps pay for the operators who connect 711 calls.

For more on new VoIP regulation:
- read this article from ars technica

Related Articles:
SF Vonage users get E911. Report
More addresses in E911. Report
Judge to VoIP carriers: Heed CALEA. Report