Senate Passes VoIP 911 Access Legislation

On Tuesday evening the U.S. Senate passed its version of the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act, which gives VoIP providers direct access to the country’s 911 networks, allowing the carriers to route calls directly to PSAPs. The House earlier passed their version of the same legislation, and now the bill will go to committee to resolve any differences. The bill doesn’t solve any major technical issues in locating VoIP callers, which is the top problem now for persons who use the Internet-based service for voice communications, especially if they roam with the service. In a statement, NENA recalled the three years it took to reach this point, and applauded the Congress for passing the bill. It called the legislation “critically important,” and said now there are significant differences to resolve between the House and Senate bills. Download (pdf) a copy of the Senate version of the bill here.