Clinton Legislation To Improve Emergency 9-1-1 Systems Now Enacted Into Law

July 23, 2008

Bill Ensures that 911 Systems Now Work for Internet Phone Service Users

Senator Attends Bill Signing Ceremony at the White House

White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that her legislation to improve Emergency 9-1-1 systems has been enacted into law. The New and Emerging Technologies 9-1-1 Improvement Act of 2008, which Senator Clinton introduced with Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), was signed into law today by President Bush. The law clarifies Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to require Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers to offer 9-1-1 emergency service. The law also allows VoIP providers to offer more reliable 9-1-1 service by expanding access for providers to the national 9-1-1 infrastructure and offering liability protections similar to protections offered to other carriers.

Senator Clinton attended the bill signing ceremony at the White House.

“When someone calls 9-1-1, it is critical that emergency responders can locate and help that person, whether the call was placed from a hardline, a cell phone, or an Internet-based phone. More and more Americans rely on new technologies for their phone service, and today’s victory will help to modernize our emergency response systems so that Americans can call for help confident that help will arrive. The enactment of this law will strengthen public safety and will provide important resources to our first responders,” said Senator Clinton.

New York Assemblyman David Koon, who has long been a champion of modernizing emergency response systems, praised the enactment of the law and Senator Clinton’s efforts on this issue.

“The development of E-9-1-1 technology became my mission following my own, very personal tragedy,” said Assemblyman Koon. “In 2003, with the help and leadership of Senator Clinton, I was able to secure the funding to bring E-9-1-1 to all of New York State. Five years later, her continued hard work and dedication on the federal level has resulted in the passage of a bill that will save lives all across the country.”

The law will ensure that the nation’s 9-1-1 system can process emergency calls made through Internet phone services and other new technologies. The bill will give VoIP phone service providers direct access to the 9-1-1 system at the same rates, terms and conditions as wireless phone providers. It authorizes VoIP service providers to provide customer location information to public safety answering points in an emergency.

Several tragedies in which VoIP customers were not aware that their broadband-connected telephone did not have 911 service highlighted the need for Congress to act to ensure that all phone customers, regardless of the technology they use, will have their call for help answered.

The law also extends existing state laws protecting 9-1-1 calls made using wireline and wireless phones to not only VoIP 911 calls, but also to any service obligated by the FCC to provide 9-1-1 in the future, and any service that coordinates local 9-1-1 authorities and voluntary 9-1-1 emergency services. This provision ensures that consumers’ safety is not compromised when they use new technologies like car-based 9-1-1 services and video and text services used by persons with disabilities.

The law will also modernize the nation’s 9-1-1 system by requiring the National 9-1-1 Coordination Office, created under legislation authored by Senator Clinton (The ENHANCE 9-1-1 Act) to establish a national plan to move to an IP-based emergency response network and allowing 9-1-1 emergency call center grants to be used for IP-based equipment.

Senator Clinton has championed efforts to modernize the nation’s emergency response systems. The Ensuring Needed Help Arrives Near Callers Employing 9-1-1 (ENHANCE Act), which Senator Clinton authored and which was signed into law in 2004, provides for increased federal coordination of Federal, State and local emergency communications systems, emergency personnel and public safety organizations through the creation of a new federal coordinating office. It also authorizes funding for grants to state and local governments and tribal organizations for the purposes of enhancing emergency communications services such as locating all emergency calls made on cell phones, through planning, infrastructure improvements, equipment purchases and personnel training and acquisition. In addition, the law discourages states from diverting the 9-1-1 surcharge, included on many cell phone bills, for non-9-1-1 purposes. Senator Clinton also worked with her colleagues last year to secure over $43 million for this grant program.

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