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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:
Monday, June 28, 2004
Contact:
Jim Quackenbush, Director, 9-1-1 Emergency Communications, 360-704-2731
9-1-1 May Not Work for Some Internet Phones
There are several
Internet service providers who now offer Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
service to their customers, but the convenience may come with qualifier. This
service is attractive to people because they can have voice service using
their Internet Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection or cable internet
connection and no longer need a dedicated telephone line to make phone calls.
They also are provided with long distance service at no charge. Given the
attractiveness of this service, people may not stop to think about drawbacks
to the service, such as the fact that Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) may not work for
VoIP phones.
Citizens have come to
rely on E9-1-1 service, and have an expectation that this service will be
available from any phone.
The features of E9-1-1 include:
·
Routing of 9-1-1 calls to the
correct 9-1-1 Center over a dedicated 9-1-1 network
·
Display of the caller’s
telephone number at the 9-1-1 Center
·
Display of the caller’s location
at the 9-1-1 Center
These features may not be
available for all VoIP phones.
Issues related to E9-1-1 Service for VoIP are:
·
The VoIP phone may not be
capable of placing a 9-1-1 call.
The caller may receive a “service not available” recording.
·
The VoIP 9-1-1 call is not
routed over a dedicated 9-1-1 network.
This call will compete with all other calls in the public switched telephone
network. VoIP 9-1-1 calls are currently forwarded to a ten-digit number,
which may or may not be answered at a 9‑1-1 Center.
·
VoIP traffic on today’s
Internet can be slowed by viruses, worms, and other cyber attacks.
This could affect the ability of a VoIP 9-1-1 call to get through the
network to reach a 9-1-1 Center.
·
The VoIP 9-1-1 calls may not
be answered with the same priority as other 9-1-1 calls.
Because the VoIP calls are received on ten-digit telephone lines instead of
the dedicated 9-1-1 network, they will not be answered at the same priority as
9-1-1 calls.
·
The VoIP 9-1-1 call may not
be routed to the correct 9-1-1 Center.
Wireline and wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed to a 9-1-1 Center based on the
caller’s location. A nationwide VoIP network typically will have only one
access point to the public switched telephone network, and from there the
9-1-1 call will be routed to a 9-1-1 Center anywhere in the North America.
There have been cases where VoIP 9-1-1 calls have been routed several states
away from the location of the caller.
·
No caller information will be
displayed at the 9-1-1 Center for VoIP 9-1-1 calls.
Neither the caller’s phone number nor address will display. The caller must
be able to provide their location before help can be sent.
·
There is no funding source
for VoIP 9-1-1 service. There is
presently no statutory authority for Governments to assess a 9-1-1 tax on VoIP
phones. Any service provided to these phones will need to be funded with the
9-1-1 taxes on wireline and wireless phones. Eventually, this could
jeopardize the funding of the entire E9-1-1 system.
Some VoIP service providers do inform their
customers about the limitations of E9-1-1 service when they subscribe to VoIP
service. There is concern that in their excitement over new, low-cost
telephone service, customers may not read or understand the problem. Another
concern is that the VoIP phone will look like any other telephone. Even if
the phone’s owner understands the 9-1-1 issues, visitors or others in the home
will expect the phone to provide them with access to E9-1-1 service when they
call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Citizens need to
recognize the limitations of E9-1-1 service when they consider switching their
phone service from traditional wireline service to VoIP service. Anyone who
is thinking about switching to VoIP service needs to understand that the 9-1-1
service they have come to rely on may not be available from this new phone. | 