President Bush Signs Bipartisan VoIP/Public Safety Bill Into Law

President George W. Bush signed into law H.R. 3403, the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008, which contains key provisions authored by Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Sen Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Sen Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). This new law makes certain that Americans using Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services can dial 911 during an emergency. The measure will update 911 laws and ensure that emergency calls made over Internet Protocol technologies have the same access, obligations and protections as other 911 technologies. Previously, 911 calls placed over VoIP networks were not always able to connect to the necessary 911 infrastructure. It will also ensure that future 911 networks account for the challenges of serving rural America. The original Senate bill, S. 428, was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee last year and by the full Senate on February 26, 2008.