[February 24, 2005]

IT EXPO Spring 2005 Exclusive: The E911 & VoIP Challenge

BY JOHANNE TORRES

Being one of the biggest challenges for the global adoption of VoIP-based services and products, the VoIP E911 initiative was one of the key discussions taking place during the Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO Spring 2005 Regulation & Taxation E-911 Summit at the Orchid room of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Miami, Florida. Having followed the evolution of VoIP regulation in the United States since I joined TMC & Internet Telephony magazine, this session was key for me to report on.

Gregory L. Rohde, executive director of the E9-1-1 Institute began this popular session by telling the audience about a real life event that may have changed the E911 issue in New York State forever….

New York State assemblyman David Koon’s daughter was abducted and killed, so began Rohde, she called from her cell phone, and her location could not be identified, this assemblyman established a meeting with the state senator to get the 400 million dollars allocated for implementation of cell phone E911 initiative back to the development of this issue instead of being misused for other miscellaneous issues.

Among the important enhancements of the E911 Act, the following issues discussed by Rohde stand out:

• The congress is currently considering a telecom reform
• The VoIP E911 initiative could one day be mandated just as the LECs are by the State jurisdiction; as well as the Wireless by the Federal jurisdiction.
• The relationship between P2P vs. Network Systems; Facility vs. Application layer; and Fixed vs. Mobile Service are all current debatable issues.

The 911 Institute is a non-profit 503c(3) organization with the mission to provide support for the congressional E911 Caucus. It promotes enhanced 911 services and emergency communications.