FCC looks to amend E911 rules for VoIP

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has released a proposed rule regarding Emergency 911 requirements for IP-enabled service providers.

A summary of the ruling released in the Federal Register states: “In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (the Commission) proposes measures to improve 911 availability and location determination for users of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

“First, the Commission considers whether to apply our 911 rules to ‘outbound-only’interconnected VoIP services, i.e., services that support outbound calls to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) but not inbound voice calling from the PSTN.

“These services, which allow consumers to place IP-based outbound calls to any telephone number, have grown increasingly popular in recent years. The Commission asks whether such services are likely to generate consumer expectations that they will support 911 calling and consider whether to extend to outbound-only interconnected VoIP service providers the same 911 requirements that have applied to other interconnected VoIP service providers since 2005.

“The Commission seeks comment on whether our proposal to amend the definition of interconnected VoIP service for 911 purposes has any impact on our interpretation of certain statutes that reference the Commission’s existing definition of interconnected VoIP [voice over internet protocol] service.”

The full text of the FCC’s Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is available in the FCC Reference Center, Room CY-A257, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, or online at http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/911-services/.

Comments may be submitted by Oct. 3 through http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. Use the identification PS Docket No. 07-114; GN Docket No. 11-17; WC Docket No. 05-196.