Can the VoIP 911 Problem Be Solved?

By Larry Seltzer, eWeek.com
May 22, 2005

Opinion: The immediate situation caused by the FCC is confusing and not a real solution. The long term is murky, but look for VOIP vendors to roll back some of the freedoms they gave to users.

There's a lot of confusion out there over VOIP and 911 services. In the wake of Thursday's FCC order to the VOIP industry to provide E911 services within 120 days, I have to count myself among the confused.

First, I hope to clear up some confusion. There are a lot of people who think that, as a general matter, VOIP doesn't have 911 service. This isn't true. The truth is far more complicated. Some VOIP providers provide full E911 service, and others provide none.

The actual FCC order hasn't yet been published, but we do have a press release they issued along with short statements from each of the commissioners. The press release includes descriptions of the order, including the following points:

• It applies to companies that provide phone service that allows customers to make and receive calls on the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).
• 911 calls must be delivered to the customer's local emergency operator, and this must be a standard, not optional, feature.
• The provider must provide number and location information to the operator. This is what it defines as "E911" service. The FCC presumes that the information will need to be self-reported, so the provider must provide the customer with a means to change the location information if they change the location of the VOIP TA (terminal adapter).
• Providers must inform their customers of all these changes by the effective date.
• ILECs (Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers), like Verizon and SBC, must provide access to their E911 networks to any carrier.
• The deadline is 120 days from May 19, 2005.

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