Lawmakers want to trump the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Thursday call for mandatory 911 Voice over IP
While seemingly a redundant step, lawmakers felt compelled to act because of the FCC’s recent track record in court and some emerging early criticism of the agency’s plan.
After the predictable, early kudos for protecting the public came rolling in, Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), said the FCC is pushing the “outer limits” of its jurisdiction and authority.
“Just two weeks ago the DC Circuit ruled regarding the broadcast flag that
the Commission had overstepped its authority,” Miller said in a statement.
“Now that seems to be happening again. Congress never intended the FCC to
be the ‘Federal Technology Commission,’ with broad authority over technology
applications and services.”
Perhaps anticipating an inevitable court challenge to the FCC ruling,
lawmakers in both the U.S. Senate and House introduced remarkably similar
legislation to the FCC’s order the afternoon before the agency met.
The IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act requires VoIP
providers to ensure that 911 and Enhanced 911 (E911) services are available
to customers.
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) is sponsoring the bill in the Senate along with
co-sponsors Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). Rep.
Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) is the House sponsor.
“Sen. Burns is pleased to see the FCC action,” a Burns spokeswoman said
Friday. “The more action on this issue, the better. It brings attention and
awareness to the issue.”
Like the FCC order, the legislation requires VoIP providers to inform both
their new and existing customers of the 911 capabilities and limitations of
their service.
“The few seconds it takes someone to realize that their broadband connection
cannot reach 911 can be the difference between life and death, and we cannot
waste that time during an emergency,” Burns said in a statement.
Although the FCC is conducting a lengthy study of potential regulation of IP
services, the agency rushed ahead with its 911 finding following several
incidents in which consumers were unable to reach emergency services through VoIP.
Currently, Internet telephone services route 911 calls to public safety
administrative offices instead of directly sending the calls to Public
Service Answering Points. Other VoIP providers offer no 911 services at all.
“Advances in technology should make life better, not put our lives on the
line,” said Nelson, who, along with Burns, serves on the Senate committee
overseeing U.S. telecommunications services.
Clinton noted that more than 3 million VoIP lines will be in service by the
end of the year, with projections predicting almost 27 million lines by the
end of the decade.
In the Senate, the bill now goes to the Commerce Committee while the House
Energy and Commerce Committee will vet Gordon’s bill.
Mandatory VoIP 911 Bills Introduced
