Re: VoIP operators given 120-day deadline to implement E911 services

[Robert Bonomi <bonomi () mail r-bonomi com>]

> From owner-nanog () merit edu  Thu May 19 13:38:03 2005
> Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 14:37:54 -0400
> From: Jason Frisvold <xenophage0 () gmail com>
> Subject: Re: VoIP operators given 120-day deadline to implement E911 services
>
>
> On 5/19/05, Bruce Pinsky <bep () whack org> wrote:
> > That last part ought to be interesting to try and implement in 120 days:
> >
> > "...must provide the emergency operator with the customer's callback number
> > and location, regardless of whether the call is being made from the
> > customer's home or elsewhere."
>
> I'm not sure how VoIP operators are going to accomplish this..  The
> ugly method would be requiring the user to put in their location
> information when the VoIP device first goes online, but I'm not sure
> that's even remotely practical...
>
> I know you can sometimes get generalized location information from an
> IP, but nowhere near what's needed for 911 operations..
>
> Any insight on how this is going to be handled?

The story says the FCC is requiring a capability for the _customer_ to 
update their location/callback information when those things change.

Now, since the VoIP _provider_ is being required to provide valid 'location'
info, "regardless" of where the call originates,  I suspect that we're 
going to see a lot of "phone disabled, until location info confirmed" if
the IP address of the customer changes.

> > So what's the local 911 center I should be routed to when I'm at the Cebu
> > Phillipines airport and making a VoIP call?

I favor routing _that_ emergency call directly to the Commisioner's desk and
let *them* figure out what the necessary compliance action is!

Seriously, though, if the phone is 'registered' as being in an area for
which there _is_no_ U.S. 911/E-911 service, then any attempt to dial that
'number' should get an interecept message. Preferalbly a "useful" one,
not just a  generic "your call cannot be completed as dialed" or similar.