Joint Statement of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler And Commissioner Ajit Pai Regarding Direct 911 Dialing

Whenever Americans dial 911, they expect and deserve to reach emergency personnel who can assist them in their time of need. And over the course of the past year, we have seen tremendous progress in ensuring that dialing 91 always works. Facilities across the country have been configuring their multi-line telephone systems so that consumers do not need to dial a "9" or any other access code before dialing 911. We are pleased to announced that the FCC is joining the ranks of those leading on this issue.

Beginning in June 2015, the phone system at the FCC's headquarters will be configured so that anyone in the building can reach emergency services by dialing "911". We hope that others in the federal government as well as state and local governments will follow this example. In an emergency, government employees and members of the public that visit government buildings should not have to think about whether an access code is required -- dialing 911 should always work.