FCC: VoIP Providers Must Provide 911 Services

acadiel writes "The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the FCC will require VoIP providers to provide 911 location services. This will mean extra $$$ that the VoIP providers will have to put out, which ultimately means extra $$$ that the consumer will have to put out. This is the first step in regulating an industry that should have been left alone..." I hope network end-points and physical location aren't going to be too tightly linked; one of the appeals of VoIP is using it from anywhere that has an adequate Internet connection.

Comments

Overseas?

[VirtualUK]

Isn't this going to just push VoIP companies overseas where there won't be as tight regulation? It doesn't matter to the end user in the long run where the physical servers are located afterall.

Re:Overseas?

[nacturation]

I don't think the intent here is to regular any VOIP service, such as Skype, iChat, etc. Computer-to-computer service *shouldn't* see any regulation at all, though I'm sure the telcos are pushing to regulate it to stifle competition. However, as soon as you tie that service to a telephone number (Vonage, et al) it's fair game for certain regulatory controls.

Re:Overseas?

[VirtualUK]

Agreed, it "could" play a factor, but it's only really going to cause problems if the customer is using something like a media proxy to route the voice through. If no media proxy is being used then after call set up the two end points would be talking directly to each other, which would be as fast as you're going to get it regardless of where the VoIP suppliers registrars are sat.

Re:Overseas?

[badasscat]

I can totally see why they shouldnt force people to have something like 911 service. Heaven forbid you be able to get emergency service! Moron.

Really... why is this under "your rights online"? Isn't it my right, by FCC rules, that when I pick up the phone I can get emergency service? It shouldn't matter if that's online or not.

We all pay for emergency services whether we like it or not at the time. We do it mostly with our taxes (which pay for the police and fire coverage to begin with), and you don't get to opt out of those just because you don't want to pay them. Part of it's the concept of the "greater good", but it's also for your own good as well - you may get all hot and bothered about being forced to pay for 911 service now, but that day you wake up to find your house burning down or a burglar downstairs you'll be happy it's there.

Obviously what the government does not want to happen is for some family of five somewhere to die by smoke inhalation because they didn't know the phone number of their fire department. This happened pretty often before 911 was a standard, and it would happen pretty often again if VoIP took off without 911 service mandated. There would eventually be a public outcry and you'd all be forced to pay for 911 service eventually anyway - the difference being that doing it upfront means nobody has to die before it's forced upon you. I think that's fair, quite honestly.

Re:Overseas?

[Qzukk]

Why forcefully regluate things like this when a free market would naturally provide each consumer with what _they_ want?

We were looking just last week at evaluating VoIP solutions for some of our clients. It never even crossed my mind to ask if you could or couldn't make a 911 call from them.

So what happens when joe slightlybetterthanaverage hears about these voip phones that are all the rage and that means he can replace his phone line completely and just go with the cablemodem? He can call his neighbor, he can call his mom, he can call in sick to work, but if his daugher falls down the stairs, he can't call 911? I bet he'd want 911 service, but given that he can call anyone else, why would he even think to ask?

It seems to me that if you can dial the number "911" on the device (ie, something somewhere connects you to the POTS), it should connect you to some number that can appropriately handle an emergency, since this is a major expectation that most Americans will have from their phone.

Re:Overseas?

[afidel]

Because almost every American takes 911 service as a granted. Therefore simply being in a house with a VoIP service which does not provide 911 service is potentially dangerous to those NOT subsribed to the service, does anyone really know the non-911 emergency numbers for their own emergency services let alone those of every place they visit.

Re:Overseas?

[Mr. Slippery]

As long as VoIP doesn't have easy access into the telco networks it will remain a novelty.

If you want to be a telephone system, you have to meet telephone system standards.

If all you want to do is stream audio between your PC and your girlfriends' over your broadband connections, I don't think even the FCC is dumb enough to try to stop you.

Cell phone

[Luigi30]

So, since servers can be anywhere in the world for VoIP, it's going to be like calling 911 from your cell phone-- no address unless you give them one, no identity data until you give them some. Great.

not a big fan of regulation

[aderusha]

i'm not a big fan of regulation, but requiring access to emergency services seems like a pretty reasonable request. the tone of this story seems to indicate that the government mandating that people are able to call for emergency service is somehow a bad thing. it's in the "your rights online" section, but i don't see where my rights are being trampled.

This article is just wrong

[Ignorant Aardvark]

I take offense at this article that things are being regulated that are "better off being left alone". I'm sorry, but requiring 911 features is not an excessive regulation. So users of the VoIP services are going to have to pay more - big deal. Having 911 access is very important and often means the difference between life and death, or extinguished fire versus hundreds of thousands of dollars lost. Since the VoIP services aren't capable of being altruistic and offering a very much needed service, the government needs to step in and enforce these regulations. This is what the government is supposed to do, and is certainly not "government overstepping its bounds"!

Re:This article is just wrong

[beakerMeep]

I absolutely agree. The article submiter showed true stupidity by making a comment like that. There have ALREADY been cases where people died because cell phones did not have 911 location services.

911 is kinda important

[Clyde]

As much as I believe that most politicians are horse thieves and some things should be less regulated (radio frequencies for public use, for example), I think I'd be pissed if I got VoIP home phone service and wasn't able to call 911 in an emergency.

C

Needs to be done

[Rorschach1]

Despite everyone here seeming to think that VoIP should be totally unregulated, 911 support is IMHO a very Good Thing.

People expect - and reasonably so - that they can pick up any phone in the country, dial 911, and get an emergency operator.

And how long is it going to be before people start installing VoIP payphones, if they haven't already? What about pre-wired apartment complexes offering cheap phone service?

Use of VoIP isn't limited to geeks with a dedicated and separate VoIP setup anymore.

Whatever...

[big_groo]

This is the first step in regulating an industry that should have been left alone..."

Um...this is 911 we're talking about here. I pay 25 cents on my phone bill for 911 service. God forbid, I ever have to use 911 - but I'm thankful it is there. Good for the FCC.

Re:Where does it end...

[PacoTaco]

"My house has never caught fire. Why should I help pay for the fire department?"

This needs to be regulated!

[MongooseCN]

You can't tell the difference between a VOIP phone and a non-VOIP phone. What if there's an emergency at someone's house and they use a VOIP that didn't have a 911 number? The person in the emergency situation may not know this and try dialing 911. They end up getting who-knows-what when they are expecting help.

The stressful nature of emergencies makes it hard to think and people have it drilled into them to dial 911 in an emergency. If 911 doesn't work, the situation could get much worse.

Just imagine dialing 911 because someone's bleeding out on the floor and getting an advertisement asking you if you'd like to buy this number.

Reliability issues???

[enosys]

The ordinary phone system is extremely reliable. The electrical system is somewhat less reliable. Personal computers, some comsumer grade router/gateway boxes and many broadband ISPs are way less reliable. I don't think that VoIP, which relies on all these things, is ready to be used for 911.

If a VoIP provider doesn't have to offer 911 and it doesn't offer it then I hope it is immune from lawsuits regarding 911. People will also hopefully keep some other means of calling 911 then. However, if a VoIP provider offers 911 people might use that as their only means of calling for help in an emergency and if it doesn't work someone may die, there may be huge lawsuits, etc. I'm sure this will happen soon enough.

Re:All phone services should have 911 access!

[LostCluster]

It's not like 911 is the only way to get in touch with the police.

You have 15 seconds. Tell me the non-911 way to report an emergency to the fire department where you are presently located.

See, the point of 911 is to have a dedicated emergency number that connects you to a trained dispatcher with the power to dispatch police, fire, and emergency medical services that is the same from coast to coast. As a result, most police and fire departments have ended their efforts to promote their local-access numbers because schoolchildren just need to learn what 911 is. The emergency numbers are no longer on a sticker on your phone, no longer on a magnet on your fridge, and no longer on the inside cover of your phone book. The inside cover now just tells you to call 911.

If consumers want it, they can pay for it- if not, they shouldn't have to.
Sorry, that's not how we do emergency services in this country. You don't get to opt out of emergency services to save a few pennies because you never know when you or somebody around you will need it. Any phone that's connected to the network, even one that has no paid-for service, has the ability to reach 911 at all times.

Re:Vonage has 911 service already

[MrChuck]

I'm a capitalist, and as such my instictive reaction is that the market should dictate whether or not providers support 911.

Hello, 911. What is the nature of your emergency?

A fire, I see. What are you willing to pay us to respond? <pause > I see. I'm sorry, that's not enough. We have another situation with richer folks that you and they pay us FAR more than that. I'm sorry. Perhaps you can use a bucket.

Because government should be run like business - Profitably and only for those willing to pay.
eat the poor.