What is E911? And Why Is It Important?

E911 is a critical system in North America designed to automatically provide the caller’s location to 911 dispatchers during emergency calls.

This system significantly enhances the ability of emergency responders to quickly and accurately locate individuals in distress, which is crucial in life-threatening situations. This is even more important for VoIP-based calls or calls made from high density buildings that previously didn’t offer accurate location tracking.

By providing precise location data, E911 ensures that emergency personnel can respond swiftly and effectively, reducing response times and potentially saving lives. The importance of E911 cannot be overstated, as it forms the backbone of public safety infrastructure, enabling a more efficient and effective emergency response.

 

Next Generation 911 (NG911)

While many businesses rely on some form of an E911 solution — the industry continues to shift to Next Generation 911 (NG911) to improve this critical, life-saving function.

NG911 includes the same functionality as E911, however, it shifts 911 services from analog to IP-based infrastructure, completely bypassing the soon-to-be-obsolete Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

NG911 allows for:

• Streamlined data sharing between PSAPs
• Improved emergency response times
• Better call routing
• Increased reliability
• The capacity to share text, photos, and video with a public safety answering point
• Location data is transmitted immediately using Presence Information Data Format-Location Object (PIDF-LO).

Why Were E911 Regulations Created?

E911 regulations in the United States evolved from two important federal laws governing 911 call routing: Kari’s Law and the RAY BAUM’S Act.

 

Kari's Law

Kari’s Law is a federal law enacted in 2018 that requires multiline phone systems, such as those in hotels and many offices, to allow users to dial 911 directly without a prefix, such as “9,” commonly used to get an outside line. The law was created after Kari’s Hunt’s tragic death in 2013 when her eldest daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, attempted to dial 911 four times from their hotel room. Unfortunately, not one of her calls went through because she didn’t know to dial “9” first to reach an external line.

The daughter next attempted to notify hotel staff, but once again this failed, as a language barrier prevented the staff from notifying hotel management. An investigation determined Kari’s death could have been avoided if the daughter’s first 911 call had been made successfully. This led her father, Hank Dunn, to push for change.

Determined to ensure that no other family would go through what he did, he worked tirelessly at the state — and later federal — level to change the law. In February 2018, he finally saw the culmination of his efforts in what became known as Kari’s Law.

Quick Highlights of Kari's Law

Kari’s Law requires organizations to configure their multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) so that dialing 911 overrides all other functionality and connects the caller immediately to the nearest PSAP. It also requires MLTs to send a notification to a central location, either onsite or off-site, that a 911 call was placed. This notification must include the following details:

• When the 911 call was placed
• The location of the caller provided to the PSAP
• A callback number

 

RAY BAUM'S Act

RAY BAUM’S Act Named in honor of the late Ray Baum, a telecommunications lawyer and lobbyist, RAY BAUM’s Act is actually an acronym that stands for: Repack Airways Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services.

RAY BAUM’S Act is not exclusively concerned with 911 services. Rather, it comprises a broad set of telecommunications regulations and requirements. Section 506 of the act is what’s relevant to us here.

It mandates that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must consider adopting rules to ensure that all 911 calls convey a dispatchable location, regardless of the technology used. This location must include a street address, room number, floor, and any other information that may be necessary in helping first responders find the caller as quickly as possible.

The FCC published the following rules in the Federal Register on December 6, 2019:

• By January 6, 2021, all fixed MTLS, interconnected VoIP systems, telephone relay services (TLS) and telephony systems must provide dispatchable location data.
• By January 6, 2022, all non-fixed MTLs, VoIP, telephony systems, and TRS must provide dispatchable location data.

 

Why E911 Regulations Matter and the Cost of Non-Compliance

Effective E911 systems do save lives, there’s no denying this. Here are a few top reasons why these solutions are vital, as well as some of the consequences of non-compliance.

 

Delay Effective Emergency Responses

In an emergency, every second counts. Even a few minutes can be the difference between life and death.

Your business not only needs to alert security teams and key stakeholders that a call has been made, but also ensure that emergency responders are provided with a dispatchable location. Otherwise, you’re likely introducing an unacceptable delay in the response process. Effective coordination with emergency services is essential to minimize response times and improve public safety.

 

Costly Regulatory Penalties

Failure to comply with regulations at any level, whether local, state, or federal, can see your business targeted with fines and other penalties.

In extreme cases, you may even have your phone line suspended. There’s also the ever-present threat of litigation if it’s revealed that you were negligent with E911 compliance.

 

Negative Impact to Your Business Standing

There are many factors that go into whether or not a business is considered to be in good standing — E911 compliance is one of them.

If your business is not in good standing, it will be more difficult to obtain a line of credit or open a bank account. In extreme cases, your business could even be labeled delinquent and dissolved.

How Keep Your Business E911 Compliant

Businesses must ensure their phone systems are E911 compliant, which involves providing accurate location information to emergency responders. You can achieve this with a multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) that supports E911 functionality.

It’s also crucial to extend E911 compliance to remote workers, who may use mobile phones and other wireless devices. This requires coordination with wireless carriers to ensure accurate location data is transmitted.

Ultimately, your impact will largely depend on the nature of your communications infrastructure.

If your business is heavily-reliant on legacy phone systems or uses aging copper landlines — upgrading is highly recommended. At this point, all regulations of Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’S Act are in effect — meaning that 911 calls must be direct, instantaneous, and include dispatchable location data.

The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act mandates that wireless carriers provide emergency services like E911, which enhances the speed and accuracy of emergency response by automatically reporting the caller’s location and phone number for mobile phones.

This applies to unified communication platforms as well as MTLS, VoIP phones, TLS, and telephony systems — regardless of platform or location.

The laws are applicable to any business with a presence in the US, too. For example, if you’re headquartered in Canada and employ a full-time remote worker in Seattle, you need to follow both RAY BAUM’S Act and Kari’s Law.