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VOIP E9-1-1 “CALL TO ACTION” |
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ISSUE: |
VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004 |
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PURPOSE: |
To provide a clear and unambiguous structure for the
jurisdictional and regulatory treatment for the offering or provision of
voice-over-Internet-protocol applications, and for other purposes. |
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BACKGROUND: |
Congressman Charles Pickering (R-Miss) and Senator John
Sununu (R-NH) introduced the "VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004"
(S 2281 and HR 4149) in their respective chambers. Congress is working
quickly to preempt state and local regulation of Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP). In its rush to limit regulation, Congress has also proposed the
establishment of "voluntary" standards for VoIP E9-1-1 services. If
the bill passes, VoIP providers will have the option of either complying with
the standards or notifying their customers that they will not have
traditional 9-1-1 services. In other words, public safety will need to answer
calls from VoIP customers regardless if the VoIP provider complies with the
voluntary E9-1-1 standards. APCO has taken a strong position against this and
has advocated to Congress to authorize the FCC to regulate VoIP E9-1-1. |
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STATUS: |
July 7, 2004 - House Energy and Commerce Committee
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing on “Voice
Over Internet Protocol Services: Will the Technology Disrupt the Industry or
Will Regulation Disrupt the Technology?" This hearing focused on
the possibility of the Federal government’s preemption of State and local
regulation of VoIP services. One of the key elements in the discussion
was the public service requirements of VoIP services such as 9-1-1 and
whether these services should be regulated by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC). It was clear at the hearing that Congress is not
aware of all the issues related to 9-1-1 and they might be getting rushed in
passing legislation that could have a dramatic impact on how public safety
answering points (PSAPs) will respond to VoIP E9-1-1 calls. It was also
clear the information that they have been receiving by VoIP providers related
to VoIP E9-1-1 is greatly misleading. |
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ACTION: |
APCO International needs your help in making sure Congress does not
overlook the interests of public safety on the issue of VoIP and
E9-1-1. As you may be aware, this is one of the hottest public safety
issues on Capitol Hill. There is currently a misperception by Congress
that public safety supports development of “voluntary” standards for VoIP
E9-1-1 calls. This misperception is being fueled by continued emphasis
that the VON/NENA agreement is an agreement between public safety and VoIP
providers. APCO International does not support this agreement and, in
fact, is in opposition of the agreement. APCO International urges you to contact your elected officials to let them
know that public safety does not support “voluntary” standards for VoIP
E9-1-1. Public safety has worked hard to make sure the FCC is the
regulatory body of E9-1-1. It is imperative that the FCC’s hands are
not tied by any legislative initiatives that try to restrict regulation of
VoIP. It is APCO International’s position that any legislation to
protect VoIP from regulation needs to be separated from E9-1-1. APCO International is putting this call to action to its National
Legislative Network (NLN) members, Executive Council, Chapter Officers and
general membership to make sure the voice of public safety is heard loud and
clear when it comes to regulating VoIP and E9-1-1. Members
of APCO International are encouraged to write, call, and visit the offices of
their elected officials and urge them to authorize the FCC to regulate VoIP
E9-1-1. Specifically, APCO International would like it to ask its members to take
two actions related to VoIP E9-1-1.
It would be best if the letter
was written in your own words. The letters can either be from your
agency or from you as concerned citizen or both. It is very important that
you try to incorporate a specific example in your letter as to why this
legislation is important to your State and local communities. Many
times your representatives will use your examples to argue your issues before
Congress. ·
VoIP E9-1-1 should be separated from other VoIP
regulatory issues. ·
Congress needs to authorize the FCC to regulate VoIP
E9-1-1 services. ·
Congress must not succumb to the temptation to defer
entirely to voluntary standards and guidelines to address the E9-1-1
problems. Facts about VoIP and E9-1-1 you
might want to include in your letter are: ·
The public has come to expect that their telephone
will provide immediate access to emergency services by dialing 9-1-1, that
their call will be answered by local personnel who can dispatch first
responders to the scene, and that their location and phone number will be
provided automatically. The public does not expect any different level of
service just because the "telephone" over which the call is made is
IP-enabled. From the perspective of the 9-1-1 caller, all telephones are
functionally equivalent and the expectation is that the level of 9-1-1
service will be the same. ·
VoIP providers' increasing common diversion of " ·
Routing of calls to 10-digit numbers is forcing some
PSAPs to consider diverting scarce resources to handle the potential new volume
of 9-1-1 calls from VoIP providers. ·
Absent VoIP E9-1-1 capability, emergency responses
will be delayed and PSAP personnel will be strained by the need to divert
scarce resources. ·
VoIP can not be allowed to proliferate and substitute
for wireline telephone service unless it provides full E9-1-1 service. ·
VoIP providers connected to the public switch
telephone network should be required to meet current E9-1-1 requirements for
call back number and location information. Please be sure to ask others in
your agency or community to write to their elected officials. Your
voice does not need to be the only one. Click here for
tips on writing a letter to Congress For supporting material you can
use ·
any local press clippings, ·
APCO's
Press Release June 15, 2004 ·
APCO
Press Release - April 13-2004 (PDF) ·
Copy
of a letter to Senator Sununu (pdf) ·
Copy
of the letter to Representative Pickering (pdf) ·
Copy of APCO's
letter to Senator McCain ·
APCO's
Position on VoIP(HTML) / PDF
Make sure you also send a copy
of your letters to the APCO International Office of Government Affairs. Yucel Ors , Legislative
Affairs Manager
Since this is an election year,
be ready for them to accept your invitation. When you invite the
elected officials be sure to invite other dignitaries such as the Mayor,
Police Chief, Fire Chief, and others. If you get a confirmation that
the elected officials accepted your invitation, inform the local media that
elected officials and other dignitaries will be touring your communication
center. When you are conducting the
tour of your communications center make sure you are ready to present your
issues to the Representatives and Senators and other elected officials.
Have your talking points ready. Stick to a single issue, state only a
few key points in support of your position and make a definite request for
action. The elected officials want to hear your thoughts and opinions because
you are a constituent. One of your most useful strategies is to relate the
issue and your position to your community. Local statistics and stories
are important and you can be the only source for such rich information. Do
not be afraid to humanize the issue by relating it to your local community or
personal experience. Finally, have information available that the elected
officials and media can take back with them. If you need collateral
information for your event, be sure to contact APCO International’s Office of
Government Affairs at 202.833.2700. If your elected officials are
not able to take a tour of your communications center, then make and
appointment to see them, or meet with one of their staff members at their
local office. |
For tips on meeting with elected officials go to www.apcointl.org/about/gov/meetingtips.htm.
For more information on this call to action please visit www.apcointl.org/about/gov/alerts/voipaction.htm.
If
you do take any action on this issue or you require assistance in coordinating
your action please contact