FCC set to require 911 dialing for Internet phones

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=8521222
Tue May 17, 2005 04:06 PM ET
By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Internet telephone providers will soon have to offer full emergency 911 calling services under an order U.S. regulators are expected to adopt Thursday in response to incidents of customers having trouble getting help.

Internet calls, known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), are sent over a high-speed Internet connection but they do not always provide 911 response centers with the caller's address and often they are routed to administrative lines.

With pressure from state law enforcement agencies and Congress, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission plans to require VOIP companies to provide 911 services to customers within 120 days of its order being published, two officials familiar with the FCC plan said.

In February, a husband and wife in Houston were shot and wounded by burglars while their daughter tried to call 911 on a Vonage line but reached a general recording. The daughter had to use a neighbor's phone to reach police.

Privately held Vonage, the biggest U.S. VOIP provider with 640,000 subscribers, has been sued by two states that said the company failed to adequately notify customers about limitations of its 911 service. Vonage has denied the charges but recently moved to an opt-out system instead of opt-in for 911.

"My concern is that we're able to ensure that people that pick up their phones at home and dial 911 get those calls connected to emergency operators," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told reporters on Tuesday.

Telephone and cable companies are racing to offer VOIP in part because it is less regulated and cheaper for both carriers and customers, of which there are more than 1 million so far.

The FCC ruling would apply to customers who use the service in single or multiple locations and would likely take effect in late September or early October, the officials said. Some VOIP customers can get a phone number with an area code different than their location which can make identification harder.

The FCC commissioners are slated to vote on the order at the agency's open meeting on Thursday but the officials cautioned that all of the details have not been finalized.

One issue still being debated by the FCC is how VOIP providers can access equipment operated by the big four local phone companies, known as the Baby Bells, so they can give 911 dispatchers the location and phone number of the caller.

Vonage and the Bells have sparred over access over the last several months and have only reached pacts with Qwest Communications International Inc., the smallest Bell, and for a trial with Verizon Communications.

Despite concerns by Vonage about access and the potential for technical problems that could require more than 120 days for implementation, Martin indicated little flexibility on the timeline.

"Obviously we'll try to make sure that there's enough time for reasonable implementation, but we're going to have a swift implementation," he said.

One analyst said the commission had to balance applying regulations to the new service without stifling innovation and investment, but also had to act to protect the public.

"The commission really can't be a bystander," said Paul Glenchur, an analyst for the Stanford Washington Research Group. "They do need to do something to at least show that they've done all they reasonably can to move the industry toward a solution."