[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2427-E2428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            911 MODERNIZATION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2007

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
this legislation to update and improve 911 services for today's 
technology.
  Improving public safety is a constant struggle, as I have learned 
working on improving 911 services for the Houston area and the entire 
state of Texas as a state legislator, and I want to thank Mr. Gordon 
for his work on this legislation, both in introducing it and for 
working with all involved parties throughout the process to create a 
bill with such broad support.
  In June 2005, after it received reports about the inability of some 
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers to access 911 services, 
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued regulations 
requiring VoIP providers to automatically provide 911 services to their 
customers, and to route these calls with a call-back number and the 
caller's registered location, either directly or through a third-party.
  After trying to address this issue for several years, I hope we can 
send a bill to the President this Congress addressing VoIP E911. The 
purpose of H.R. 3403 is to ensure that consumers using VoIP services to 
place phone calls have access to E911, by giving VoIP providers access 
to 911 infrastructure and by extending existing liability protections 
to VoIP service.
  This bill requires VoIP providers to provide 911 service and E911 
service to its subscribers in accordance with the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. It allows VoIP to access 
the nation's existing 911 infrastructure, which is largely operated by 
their competitors, traditional telephone companies. VoIP companies will 
also be permitted to access existing 911 infrastructure not only to 
deliver 911 calls, but also to provide location and call-back 
information for those calls.
  Customers using VoIP services expect to access 911 services just as 
wireless and wireline customers do, and this legislation ensures it is 
parallel with those services when it comes to E911 regulations and 
requirements.
  I strongly support this legislation to improve public safety, and I 
urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

[[Page E2428]]



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