911 Modernization and Public Safety Act of 2007
911 MODERNIZATION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - November 13, 2007)
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Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I've been working on 911 issues for over a decade. We've come a long way during this time, and this bill is another step toward full interoperability. It is essential for our constituents to have access to emergency services whether they're using a mobile phone or using a VOIP service. Confidence that our network will be able to access emergency services when they are needed is fundamental.
My thanks to Representative GORDON and the Energy and Commerce Committee for their work on this 911 legislation which I'm a cosponsor of. The bill places a duty on VOIP services to provide 911 for their customers. This gives customers a guarantee that they will have emergency services when they need it. Importantly, this legislation requires that carriers allow VOIP providers to interconnect with
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their facilities. In return, carriers will be compensated at the same rate that wireless carries pay to interconnect. This interconnection mandate is necessary so that consumers will have timely access to 911 services.
This legislation will connect the 98 million Americans that live in areas where VOIP providers do not yet have access to the 911 network and are unable to receive reliable VOIP 911 services.
My colleague Mr. SHIMKUS and I are co-chairs of the E-911 Caucus and I thank him for his terrific work on this issue. We've worked closely together and passed legislation to provide federal grants to enhance our emergency communications system. So far no funding has been appropriated for this purpose but we were successful in passing an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations that added $5 million for this grant program. The funding ``plants the seed'' for advanced E-911 equipment so necessary in our communities.
This is a good bill and I strongly support it and urge Members to vote for it.
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