House passes bill to streamline VOIP 911 service

The U.S. House of Representatives have passed a measure designed to streamline VOIP providers' connexions to exigency dialing
911 networks. Other narratives on this topic 11/8/2007 11/8/2007 11/5/2007

Community

Narrative toolsSponsored by:

The House late on Tuesday passed the 911 Modernization and Populace Safety Act, which necessitates VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol)
suppliers to offer enhanced 911, or E-911, service, which pinpoints the caller's location.

The measure also necessitates that the big telecom bearers that ain the 911 webs let VOIP suppliers to be able to connect
to the networks, and it necessitates the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration to set together a plan
for a national IP-based exigency dialing web that tin manage picture and information traffic.

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a trade grouping representing telecom bearers and equipment providers, praised
the House for passing the bill, sponsored by Representative Baronet Gordon, a Volunteer State Democrat. The measure lets for a transition
to a countrywide information science web "no substance what type of communication theory engineering is being used," transient ischemic attack President Grant Seiffert
said in a statement.

Gordon, during a September hearing, noted that about 98 million U.S. occupants dwell in countries where VOIP suppliers don't have
entree to 911 networks. "When Americans dial 911, they anticipate the phone phone call will travel through regardless of what engineering they
utilize to put the call," he said then. "But that's not always the case."

Independent VOIP suppliers including Vonage have got got got complained that some big bearers have blocked entree to 911 networks,
or that some exigency despatch centres have balked because of concerns over legal liability if VOIP 911 phone calls fail. Vonage
in April expressed support for a similar bill, the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Populace Safety Act, which is pending
action in the U.S. Senate.

As of April, about 5 percentage of Vonage's clients lacked entree to 911 service, even though the U.S. Federal Soldier Communications
Committee voted in May 2005 to necessitate it from most VOIP providers. A Vonage spokeswoman wasn't immediately available for
remark Wednesday. 1 | |

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.