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How 911 ETC is Helping Users Comply with State-Level Policies

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TMCnews Featured Article


June 06, 2011

How 911 ETC is Helping Users Comply with State-Level Policies

By Tammy Wolf, TMCnet Web Editor


Twenty-two states currently have E911 legislation enacted or pending, requiring organizations over a certain size to purchase a new PBX (News - Alert) to deploy E911 for the safety of individuals, and 911 ETC is dedicated to addressing the industry’s E911 needs.


At the recent International Avaya (News - Alert) Users Group Global Conference, the E911 hosted solutions provider presented two sessions focusing on Next Generation 911 and E911 implementation for TDM and VoIP. Meanwhile, Michael Anderson, national sales manager for 911 ETC, took some time to discuss with Telecom Reseller (News - Alert) Publisher Doug Green the changing regulatory situation across the U.S., as well as available resources for these changes.

In the podcast, Anderson elaborated on how more and more people understand there is a need for E911 compliance. With lowered costs and more opportunities to cover remote users, remote sites and to perform voice positioning center-type solutions rather than traditional PS/ALI (private switch/automatic location identification), new challenges are arising for E911.

Fortunately, with i2 technology, companies like 911 ETC can address those issues with “flattening and consolidating,” which involves compressing a three-tier model of routing into a single layer and combining applications, servers and management into a larger telephone system.

For example, as described by Anderson, a large company with offices in every state used two-core switches. However, rather than implementing a local PRI into every physical presence where there are phones, the company can now take 911 calls from the two-core switches and route them back to where they originated from.

According to Anderson, flattening and consolidating gives users more flexibility in terms of being able to take 911 calls from any location. In addition, this saves customers money as they don’t have to pay monthly usage fees in every state.

“It’s not about a phone number or location. It’s about where your appliances are,” Anderson told Green. “Whether it’s a hard phone, soft phone or VoIP phone, it’s about location discovery and populating the information to the appropriate database and delivering that call to the appropriate PSAP or 911 operator.”

Meanwhile, 911 ETC has been busy making people aware of regulatory issues at the state level. Michigan is the latest state to enact E911 legislation and has placed further enforcement on users by threatening to fine those who don’t comply with 911 regulations.

Of course, according to Anderson, there is no uniform law, as each state requires a certain amount of square footage for E911 technology. California is currently in the process of implementing legislation to require E911 for 10,000 square feet; and, according to Anderson, “If they enact that, we are going to see a lot of changes.”

For additional educational resources on E911 legislation, visit 911etc.com or refer to the many insights and educational blogs by Mark Fletcher, a major proponent of E911.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.




Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet web editor. She covers a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.



Edited by Jennifer Russell







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