VoIP Battles FCC 911 Regulations
VoIP providers are currently battling the FCC over regulations regarding the provision of 911 accessibility on their networks. VoIP providers feel that they are being unfairly targeted as new regulations are proposed and considered in Washington, DC.
Some history is helpful. As VoIP came onto the marketplace, the large telco providers looked for ways to slow it down through any means possible. An effective way to accomplish this was to get the government to intervene. Certain telephone companies went to the FCC and pushed them to demand that certain VoIP providers offer enhanced 911 services to their customers. Enhanced 911 capabilities allow the receiver of a call to determine exactly where a call is coming from. The companies approaching the FCC knew that such a demand would add costs to the VoIP business and perhaps even prove to be unfeasible. After all, determining the exact location of a computer on the Internet can be quite difficult. After some very public hearings in which VoIP provider Vonage was raked over the coals, the FCC ruled that VoIP providers must give 911 to all of their customers.
It should be noted that Vonage was unfairly smeared in this process. While tragedy certainly did happen with emergency services not being able to locate callers using the Vonage service, this same thing has happened quite often and with much more frequency on traditional and wireless phone service. VoIP was unfairly singled out, though, setting the stage for contention between VoIP providers and the FCC.
Fast forward to this past July, 2011. The FCC has begun considering new 911 requirements for VoIP providers (although it should be noted in fairness that these regulations may affect traditional providers as well). The requirements under consideration are:
- Applying existing 9-1-1 rules that cover two-way interconnected VoIP services to “outbound-only” interconnected VoIP services that allow users to place outbound phone calls but not to receive inbound calls.
- Requiring all interconnected VoIP providers to provide automatic location information for VoIP 9-1-1 calls, rather than relying on subscribers to register their locations with their VoIP providers.
- Requiring improved location accuracy for 9-1-1 calls made from indoors, including large office buildings where “it may be difficult to locate an individual in trouble based only on a street address.”
- Requiring emerging location technologies to play a role in supporting 9-1-1 services for VoIP. For example, mobile network operators might be required to use commercial location-based services to support 9-1-1 for customers using voice services not provided by the wireless operator, such as when a customer uses VoIP over a smartphone.
The fourth item may require non-VoIP providers to play a role in supporting 911 for VoIP services.
These proposals, if acted upon by the FCC, will be unpopular with both traditional providers and VoIP providers. The large US telecommunication companies don’t take kindly to sharing their network infrastructure with competitors, in this case VoIP providers. VoIP providers, on the other hand, will be concerned about the costs associated with implementing the proposed solutions.
While two-way interconnected VoIP providers have been required to offer connectivity to emergency lines at public safety answering points (PSAPs) for years (as noted above due to VoIP providers being forced by the government to provide 911 services), current VoIP customers are required to register their location with their service provider. In fighting these proposals if the requirements move forward, the VoIP industry will surely note that the existing system has worked well and should continue as it currently is. In fact, Vonage has stated that it has worked with public safety officials to adapt Vonage’s 911 service to the equipment and infrastructure on which PSAPs rely, resulting in the delivery of more information to the PSAP than is provided by mobile network operators.
While the argument that VoIP should offer 911 is sound, requirements should be handled fairly across the board. No particular carrier should have to, by law, provide more information than a competitor. That is the box the VoIP industry has found itself forced into as it deals with government regulations and the big telcos and wireless companies. That’s the basis of the fight, and in the view of VoIP providers, the fight won’t end until the playing field is leveled.
