Net phone providers describe E911 obstacles

[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
The Federal Communications Commission has spent much of the past year prodding Internet phone providers to link their customers to the enhanced 911 system, but accomplishing that goal is no small feat, industry representatives said Tuesday. "We're making progress, but it's extremely complex," said Mary Boyd, a vice president at Intrado, which offers Net phone providers database technology designed to deliver such information to public safety operators. Boyd participated in a panel discussion at a conference sponsored by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), a strong proponent of improving 911 technology. Others on the panel included representatives from Verizon Communications and Vonage, as well as a Brevard County, Fla., official who has been working closely on implementation issues. One obstacle lies in the maintenance of the database, known as the Master Street Address Guide, which stores a 911 dialer's location information. Because in many cases it's up to Net phone users to update that address, it "can be whatever the subscriber believes their address to be, and those of you who have been involved in 911 for a while know that's not necessarily an accurate" descriptor, said Roger Hixson, NENA's technical issues director. Another challenge has proven to be coordination among all the appropriate parties--Net phone providers, telecommunications companies that own 911 infrastructure, companies such as Intrado that provide call-routing technology and public safety operators.
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