WASHINGTON-Citing significant progress and resources spent by interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol providers to warn customers that 911 calls may not go through, the Federal Communications Commission said last week it will not enforce the latest of three deadlines regarding notification.
“It is evident that many providers have devoted significant resources to notify each of their subscribers of the limitations of their 911 service and obtaining acknowledgments from each of their subscribers,” said the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. “By repeatedly prompting subscribers through a variety of means, the majority of providers submitting September reports have obtained acknowledgments from nearly all, if not all, of their subscribers.”
The FCC said that at the end of June any customer who did not acknowledge understanding the limitations of VoIP when dialing 911 had to be cut off. The FCC extended this deadline to the end of August and then again to Sept. 28. On Sept. 22, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said he had no intention of extending the deadline but added that the most important deadline is Nov. 28, when all VoIP providers must offer enhanced 911 to their customers.
Had the FCC stuck to its guns, VoIP providers faced a difficult choice. If they cut off a customer and that customer then unsuccessfully tried to dial 911, the VoIP providers theoretically could be liable because they have not received liability protection. The Enforcement Bureau said it expects all carriers to report when 100-percent acknowledgment is achieved.
