Compliance Deadline for RAY BAUM’s Act was January 6, 2021.
Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act require Voice Service Providers to handle 911 calls in new ways:
Emergency Services must be reachable by simply dialing 911 – not 9911, etc.
When that call is placed, someone in a central location must be notified to meet the first responders.
The Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) must receive a dispatchable location – not just a street address, but enough information to get a first responder to the proper room.
These requirements went into effect for fixed-location devices, like desk phones, in January 2021.
UCaaS and Hosted VoIP providers are affected. Plus most other organizations which use telephones in their buildings, from Schools & Colleges, Hotels, to Heavy Industry.
What’s Your Game Plan?
For the technical teams running Voice networks, this raises a number of questions:
What if every phone doesn’t have a DID telephone number?
How do I get the dispatchable location data to the PSAP?
What if my platform doesn’t currently support these emergency calling?
Can users call both 911 and 988 for appropriate emergency services?
What if my provisioning software only checks the registered street address, and not the full dispatchable location?
There are legal and technical options available to address these questions. The FCC doesn't require you to do something your current software doesn't support; but if you make upgrades, you may become obligated later. But if your calling platform can support these functions, you are required to activate and use the features to stay in compliance.
The attorneys at Marashlian and Donahue, a law firm, explain in a client briefing:
“The FCC has provided very little clarity as to what modifications or upgrades might trigger RAY BAUM’s Act compliance obligations, so parties planning changes to their MLTS or VoIP services after January 6th will want to proceed with caution.”
Get Your Voice Network Certified Compliant Today
ECG’s Emergency Calling Compliance Audit will check your platform to ensure full compliance:
ECG provides a certification and score, upon completion of the compliance audit.
This complete audit and certification is completed within two weeks, at a flat rate of $4,288.00 for most carriers.
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