Multivendor phone systems can present challenges for E911 management. Third-party platforms, however, can help businesses with call routing and location management.
In the United States, E911 management has two core requirements: ensure calls placed to 911 from company phone systems reach the correct emergency communications center or public safety answering point and ensure accurate location information associated with the phone number originating the 911 call.
Multiline telephone systems might require compliance with two federal regulations: Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act.
Kari’s Law covers multiline telephone systems sold, leased or installed after Feb. 16, 2020. It requires that all phones can dial 911 directly without needing a prefix, such as 8 or 9, to reach an outside line. It also requires that appropriate personnel, such as on-site security individuals, are notified whenever a 911 call is made. And it mandates that 911 calls sent to an emergency communications center (ECC) or public safety answering point (PSAP) provide a valid callback number so the operator can reach the caller if the call is interrupted.
Section 506 of the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018 (RAY BAUM’S Act) requires that calls placed to 911 provide a “dispatchable location.” The Federal Communications Commission defines a dispatchable location as “a location delivered to the PSAP with a 911 call that consists of the validated street address of the calling party, plus additional information such as suite, apartment, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party.”
At a minimum, a dispatchable location is usually defined as the main entrance to a building, but it could include more specific location information.
Overcoming multivendor E911 challenges
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