FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Courtney McCarron

202.833.9600

mccarronc@apco911.org

APCO CLARIFIES VoIP CONCERNS

APCO International Responds to VON Coalition Letter to the President

February 16, 2005, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety

Communications Officials (APCO) International sent a letter yesterday to

President George W. Bush outlining public safety's concerns with the rapid

deployment of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in response to the Jan.

10 letter from the Voice Over the Net (VON) Coalition.

Among other concerns, the letter noted that the public is not always aware

of the differences between VoIP telephony and traditional telephony,

noting the recent Houston, Texas case when a young lady was unable to dial 9-1-1

from her VoIP phone.

"The public has an expectation that telephone services will provide 9-1-1

and Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) capability, regardless of whether the

telephone operates on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), wireless

networks, or the Internet," APCO International President Greg Ballentine

stated in the letter. "Yet, at present, there is a very real likelihood

that a 9-1-1 call from a VoIP telephone will be lost, delayed, or

misrouted."

The full text of the letter can be found at