FCC Adopts Rules to Help Americans Reach 9-1-1 & Receive Help More Quickly

On August 1, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to help ensure that people who call 9-1-1 from multi-line telephone systems can reach 9-1-1 and be quickly located by field responders. First, the Commission took action to implement Kari’s Law, which requires multi-line telephone systems to enable users to dial 9-1-1 directly, without having to dial a prefix (such as a "9") to reach an outside line. Second, Section 506 of RAY BAUM’S Act requires the Commission to consider adopting rules to ensure that "dispatchable location" information, such as the street address, floor level, and room number of a 9-1-1 caller, is conveyed with 9-1-1 calls, regardless of the technological platform used, so that field responders can be quickly dispatched to the caller’s location.

Click here to read the FCC's news release and Commissioners' statements. 

"NENA applauds the FCC’s extensive work on 9-1-1 in multi-line telephone systems, such as those used in hotels and offices where one may have to dial '9' or take other steps to make an external call," said Government Affairs Director, Dan Henry. "In a time of crisis, anyone who picks up a telephone should be able to dial 9-1-1 directly, reach a trained public safety professional, be automatically located, and be quickly reached by field responders. We again thank the FCC for taking this important action; the adoption of these rules are a major step toward ensuring that everyone has reliable access to 9-1-1 in times of need."