Rosum Comments on 9-1-1 Location Capability

Rosum Corporation commented on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s April 10 hearing on “VoIP and the Future of 9-1-1 Services.”  Rosum also responded to recent remarks by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin on the need for more accurate location determination of E9-1-1 calls from mobile devices.

“There are multiple trends in consumer telephony today that highlight the need for reliable ‘in-building 9-1-1’ location capability”, said Skip Speaks, CEO of Rosum Corporation. Speaks noted four specific trends: the growth in wireless-only subscribers who use their wireless handset as a primary line, the growth in users of nomadic VoIP services and users of VoIP lines as a primary line, data showing the bulk of wireless 9-1-1 calls are made indoors, and the emergence of home base stations that need to be located indoors for activation and 9-1-1 purposes.

Speaks continued, “As these new capabilities enter the home, they expand the definition of the home telephone. One can expect that a 9-1-1 call made over the traditional home phone connected by copper wire will result in first responders going to the right address. While substantial resources have been invested by providers of wireless and Internet telephony service to implement E9-1-1 service, it is clear that there is still work to be done to ensure that accurate, actionable location information is consistently delivered to our first responders. We encourage the Senate Commerce Committee and the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a thoughtful review of the future of 9-1-1 services, with a focus on in-building 9-1-1 performance. There is every reason for consumers to expect rapid and accurate response to 9-1-1 calls regardless of the technology they have chosen.”

Rosum also presented on the subject of “Reliable Location for In-Building 9-1-1 and First Response” at the Geospatial Integration for Public Safety Conference, co-organized by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), on April 16 in New Orleans.