On November 26, 2019, we wrote about rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) to help locate callers in terms of not only the street address but also a caller’s vertical location within a multi-story building, asking “Which Door Should First Responders Kick In?” The new rules were published in the Federal Register on … Continue Reading
About 80% of the 240 million phone calls received by 911 public safety answering points (PSAPs) come from wireless callers. The goal of regulators is that technology automatically identify the location of callers even if callers don’t know where they are or are unable to speak the information because of injury or constraint by an … Continue Reading
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has adopted new rules requiring manufacturers, importers, vendors, installers and managers of multi-line telephone systems (“MLTS”) to configure those systems to provide automated location information (called “dispatchable location”) and a location-specific callback number when a caller makes an emergency call to 911, at least to the extent feasible using technology … Continue Reading
Earlier this year, the President signed into federal law the Kari’s Law Act of 2017, a measure aimed at ensuring multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) users can directly access emergency personnel by dialing 911 without first dialing an access code. As you’ve probably observed, the passage of this new federal law was somewhat bittersweet, as the … Continue Reading
As we wrote about last week, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is planning to make some major overhauls at the FCC. Eight months into his term, Pai is preparing to “modernize [the FCC’s] rules to match the realities of today’s marketplace.” At this year’s National Broadcast Association’s Radio Show, Pai announced he would present to his … Continue Reading
Slowly but surely, the new set of rigorous requirements for 911 system service providers adopted last December in the wake of the 2012 "derecho" storm are coming on line.… Continue Reading
In the wake of the unacceptably poor performance of the 911 system during and following the 2012 derecho storm, the FCC has imposed new and rigorous requirements on 911 system service providers.… Continue Reading
You can send text messages to 911, but for now you can't be sure whether those messages have been received and help is on the way. The FCC wants to make sure you know when you need to resort to Plan B for help.… Continue Reading
OMB has OK'd the FCC's new PSAP Do-Not-Call registry, and the rules adopted by the FCC last fall are now technically in effect -- but compliance won't be mandatory until the Commission gets the operational details worked out.… Continue Reading
The FCC has established a new and separate "do-not-call" registry designed specifically to protect 911 emergency services from non-emergency calls. Anyone using autodialing technology -- including political organizations and non-profit groups -- will have to take steps to avoid making such calls or face stiff penalties.… Continue Reading
It doesn't do a lot of good to send an ambulance to a university campus if you don't know where on the campus to look for the patient.… Continue Reading
