As interconnected VoIP services become an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional telephone service, more attention has been paid to its resilience and reliability in times of crisis. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission took an additional step to fulfill its obligation to ensure the public can place 911 calls, regardless of the technology being used.

Under a report and order issued last Wednesday, the FCC (News - Alert) is now enforcing interconnected VoIP service providers be held to the same expectations and standards as traditional operators in the event the nation’s communications infrastructure becomes unavailable. Therefore, interconnected VoIP service providers will now have to relay important data regarding service outages impacting both them and their customers to the FCC.

This action comes at an opportune time, as, according to the FCC’s latest “Local Competition Report,” almost one-third of the 87 million-and-growing residential telephone subscriptions are now delivered as interconnected VoIP services. Until last week, these service providers were not required to report “significant service outages” to the FCC -- an action traditional operators have already done so for almost 10 years.

“This is a glaring gap that I’m pleased we are closing today,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski (News - Alert) in a public statement. “Approximately 31 percent of U.S. wireline consumers currently use VoIP as their residential phone service, and the number of VoIP users is only growing.  If you need to call 911, it shouldn’t matter who provides your telephone service.”

This proposed extension regarding outage reporting to interconnected VoIP service providers is a part of the FCC’s transition to Next Generation 911. The five-point action plan involves the development of location accuracy mechanisms for NG911; the ability for consumers to send text, photos and videos to 911 call centers; the completion and implementation of NG911 technical standards; the development of an NG911 governance framework; and the creation of a NG911 funding model. Overall, the plan aims to boost public access to 911, deliver enhanced caller information to first responders, and, most importantly, increase the reliability of 911 networks.

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 Amanda Ciccatelli