What has the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said about VoIP E9-1-1 Services?
Given the far reaching capabilities, opportunity for greater consumer choice, and the numerous applications being developed for VoIP, the FCC has been generally supportive of the technology and its potential in the communications marketplace. Supporting future developments in VoIP, the FCC has issued several Reports and Orders that recognize federal authority over VoIP, including emergency communications response capabilities. On May 19, 2005, the FCC released Report and Order 05-116, which established rules for implementing VoIP E9-1-1 service and established VoIP provider obligations in deploying emergency services. The Order requires two-way interconnected VoIP providers to deploy E9-1-1 service using the native 9-1-1 network to all Enhanced Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) by November 29, 2005 (120 days after the effective date of the Order). The entire Order, including Commission statements, can be viewed at the FCCs website at: www.fcc.gov/voip.
