Barton Jennings Gordon has tabled a fresh 911 Bill that encourages VOIP providers direct access to the 911 system and large scale deployment of emergency 911 services for the customers.
The Bill, better known as 911 Modernization and Public Safety Act (H.R. 3403), is aimed at providing VoIP players fully access to the components of the 911 infrastructure, which they require to route emergency calls.
In a statement, Gordon said,
We saw how our emergency communications systems collapsed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and after Hurricane Katrina. We need a more robust and reliable system that will be available to those who are facing a life-or-death emergency.
He added,
When Americans dial 911, they expect the call will go through regardless of what technology they use to place the call. But that’s not always the case. Roughly 98 million Americans live in areas where Internet phone providers do not have access to the 911 network.
Interestingly, the telephone companies have some reservations on the VoIP 911 bill on the ground that it concedes too much for VoIP players. They demand for an amendment to the Bill stating that the Bill enables VoIP providers more access to 911 infrastructure than wireless carriers possess.
