2014 briefing book...2014 briefing book - 3 thank you for joining us for the 2014 edition of 9-1-1...

2014 Briefing Book

PreliminariesWelcome · 3Hotel Map · 5Agenda · 6Speaker Bio’s · 10

The Caucus9-1-1 In Congress · 16Caucus Membership · 17Previous Successes · 18MLTS Legislation · 19

On the HillSuccessful Meetings · 38Getting Around · 40

At HomeSample “Thank You” Letter · 42Be a Resource · 43Expand the Caucus · 44Notes · 46

Our SponsorsOur Gracious Sponsors · 48

Using this BriefEach topic covered in this Brief is listed in the table of contents at left. Major sections are identified by circled numbers. Individual topics are identified by page numbers on the right.

A Note About NotesThroughout this Brief, sidenotes like this call attention to additional information and useful tips for your time in Washington.

j

2 — 9-1-1 Goes to Washington

2014 Briefing Book - 3

Thank you for joining us for the 2014 edition of 9-1-1 Goes to Washington! This year sees us back in the Com-monwealth of Virginia. We’re a little farther from the action on Capitol Hill, but we’ve invited plenty of “mov-ers and shakers” to join us here, so I’m certain you’ll find your days filled with top-notch content.

The next three days will be your forum to shape the future of 9-1-1 policy at the federal level. 9-1-1 Goes to Washington is designed first to educate you about the legislative and regulatory issues facing the 9-1-1 com-munity, and then to provide you with an opportunity to share that knowledge and your own hard-earned exper-tise with congressional leaders who can help to advance our interests in Washington. This year, we’re propos-ing new legislation to deal with longstanding problems presented by Multi-Line Telephone Systems. But even when there is no legislation pending, your relationships with members of Congress and congressional staff are crucial to advancing and protecting public safety inter-ests on the Hill and with regulatory bodies and execu-tive-branch agencies as well. Visiting your members’ of-fices here in Washington allows you to connect in ways that simply aren’t possible back home.

At every turn, I hope you will remember our most important goal: to share the story of 9-1-1 as you best know it. As you meet with members and staff, describe for them the challenges you face in your daily work, and celebrate with them the extraordinary successes you and your colleagues make possible with every call you answer. After all, that’s what 9-1-1 is really all about! Washington can be an intimidating place, but I encour-age you to keep about yourself the confidence, poise, and perspective you rely on to serve the public back home. Whether you agree or disagree on any particular

Welcome! jpreliminariesWelcome

A Legacy of SuccessIn 2013, 9-1-1 Goes to Washington attendees participated in more than 200 face-to-face meetings with members of Congress, Senators, and Legislative Assistants responsible for telecommunications policy.

Federal City FactsArticle I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution authorizes Congress “To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States….” Pursuant to that power, the District of Columbia was established by the Residence Act of 1790 on a location chosen by President Washington. The plan of the city was developed by noted urban designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant, and draws inspiration from the boulevards and arrondissements of Paris.


issue (or even every issue) the member or staffer you’re meeting with ultimately serves the same public for the same reasons. So be vocal! Be inquisitive! Be thought-provoking! Your genuine passion will stand out and be appreciated.

Your time here in Washington will be filled with up-close encounters with major policy makers, but the real work doesn’t start until you return home. It’s incredibly important to follow-up with the contacts you will make here. You’ll hear more about how to do that effectively during the coming days, but keep in mind that NENA provides you with year-round government affairs sup-port: If you or your chapter need advice on how to edu-cate local, state, or federal representatives, how to plan your first state capital event, or simply to get the contact information for a congressional staffer who deals with 9-1-1 issues, we’re here to help!

In the coming months, we’ll follow up 9-1-1 Goes to Washington with monthly Government Affairs Com-mittee calls and periodic webinars to update you as ex-ecutive agencies implement new rules on Text-to-9-1-1 and wireless location accuracy, and we’ll keep you up to speed with developments on our proposed MLTS legis-lation. To keep these and other issues at the forefront of Washington thought, however, we need you to remain actively involved. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit the Government Affairs section of our website, partici-pate in our calls and webinars, and invite your friends and colleagues to join us for the next edition of 9-1-1 Goes to Washington!

-Trey Forgety Director of Government Affairs

[email protected] 202.618.4392

Get InvolvedNENA’s Government Affairs Committee and Private-Sector Government Affairs Advisory Group host a joint monthly teleconference that is open to all members. By joining these calls, you can help to shape NENA’s comments to the FCC and other federal agencies, and provide input on pending legislation. Calls are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 14.30 prevailing Eastern time. Join via TurboBridge at 805.309.2350 or use expanded local access numbers available at www.turbobridge.com/local_toll.html. Our Conference ID is 865 591 8194.

jpreliminariesWelcome


3/12/2014

1/2

Crystal Gateway Marriott1700 Jefferson Davis HighwayArlington, Virginia 22202 USA

Phone: 1-703-920-

3230

Sales: 1-703-920-

3230 ext. 5198

Fax: 1-703-271-

5212

Sales fax: 1-703-271-

5131

Floor Plans

Breakfast & Breaks

Conference

Sessions

Luncheon

(Monday)

Welcome

Reception

Registration

Hotel Map

A welcome reception will be held Sunday evening in the Sky View room. Continental breakfasts and afternoon refreshments will be served in the Grand Ballroom Foyer. All conference sessions will be held in Salon A of the Grand Ballroom. Monday’s lunch will be served in Sa-lon C. Direct access to the Metro Yellow and Blue lines is available via the main lobby.

Crystal CityIt started with the name for a single office building, built near a seedy former industrial site. As the Crystal House awed tenants with its spectacular lobby and crystal chandelier, though, the rabbit’s warren that is Crystal City was born. Connected by a labyrinthine complex of underground tunnels, shopping malls, and pedestrian promenades, the buildings of this urban megaplex form an enormous colony, from which residents need never emerge. Even as the Defense department relocates masses of civilian employees and contractors from leased space in Crystal City to Ft. Belvoir, the safe streets and many restaurants and bars have continued to attract large numbers of residents.

Local RestaurantsCrystal City has a wealth of restaurants within easy walking distance of our host hotel. These are some of our favorites:Good Stuff Eatery - $Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s burger joint is a can’t-miss treat (as are its triple-thick shakes in crazy-fun flavors).Ted’s Montana Grill - $$Repopulating the American Buffalo is a longtime goal of media-mogul Ted Turner. His solution? Farm the tasty beasts and serve the extra meat to hungry steak lovers. Try the pickels, too!Jaleo - $$$José Andrés is Washington’s most famous chef, and his longest-running project has some of the freshest and most inventive tapas in town. Enjoy a multitude of small plates, perfect for sharing.

jpreliminariesHotel Map


Agenda[Monday] 8.30 Continental Breakfast

...will be served in the Ballroom Foyer.

9.00 Welcome & IntroductionCheri-Lynn Rockwell, NENA 2nd Vice-PresidentBrian Fontes, CEO

9.30 Legislative BriefingTrey Forgety, Director of Government Affairs

10.15 Refreshments...will be provided in the Ballroom Foyer.

10.30 The DoT Blue-Ribbon Funding StudyLaurie Flaherty, Coordinator, Nat’l 9-1-1 Prgm.

11.15 The Road to NG9-1-1Laurie Flaherty, Coordinator, Nat’l 9-1-1 Prgm.David Furth, Deputy Chief, FCC PSHSB

12.15 Luncheon Address [salon C]RADM David Simpson USN-Ret.

13.30 Location Accuracy UpdateNicole McGinnis, FCC PSHSB

14.30 Refreshments...will be served in the Ballroom Foyer.

14.45 FCC Address on MLTSThe Honorable Ajit Pai, Commissioner

15.00 MLTS—Beyond Kari’s LawMark Fletcher, ENP AvayaTimothy May, FCC PSHSB

16.00 FirstNet & NG9-1-1Richard Reed, Director of State Plans

17.00 Recess

jpreliminariesAgenda

LocationAll conference sessions will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Crystal Gateway hotel. Food and beverage functions will be held in adjacent function spaces. See page 5 for more detail.

Speaker BiographiesTurn to page 10 for short biographies of our speakers.

District RestaurantsThinking of making a quick hop across the Potomac tonight? Here are some top D.C. restaurant picks from NENA’s local staff:Vapiano - $Gallery Place / Chinatown (Red/Yellow/Green Lines)A fast Italian eatery in the heart of Chinatown, Vapiano has an unusual service system, but excellent pasta. The mini-desserts are great, too.Nando’s Peri-Peri - $Gallery Place / Chinatown (Red/Yellow/Green Lines)If you like it hot, this is your place. Nando’s has the best grilled chicken around, with “Macho Peas” to boot.Ted’s Bulletin - $$Eastern Market Metro (Blue/Orange Lines)Old-school diner food served up by newsboys with a side of “adult milkshakes.” Try the Buttermilk Country Fried Steak! Old Ebbit Grill - $$$Metro Center (Blue/Orange/Red Lines)A D.C. institution if ever there was. The Grill is renowned for its service, its bloody marys’, and its high-class saloon grub.



Text TuesdayThis year, we’re devoting an entire day’s programming to a single topic: Text-to-9-1-1. With the FCC’s recent adoption of an FNPRM on text, and significant progress made so far by the nation’s four largest wireless carriers, the time is right (and right now) for the PSAP community come onboard.

Bureaux & OfficesFor a description of the FCC’s bureaux and offices, turn to page 12.

[text tuesday] 8.30 Continental Breakfast

...will be served in the Ballroom Foyer.

9.00 Text: Individuals & CommunitiesCheryl King, FCC CGBAndrew Phillips, Nat’l Ass’n of the DeafLise Hamlin, Hearing Loss Ass’n of AmericaChristian Vogler, Gallaudet UniversityRebecca Ladew, Speech Comm’cns by Telephone

10.00 The Policy: Legal & Moral DictatsDana Zelman, FCC PSHSBCheryl King, FCC CGBDoJ Representative (Pending Clearance)

10.45 Refreshments...will be provided in the Ballroom Foyer.

11.00 The Reality: Text in the PSAPChristy Williams, ENP NCTCOG

12.00 The Process: Requesting Text ServiceRoger Hixson, ENP Technical Issues DirectorSusan Sherwood, VerizonSherri Griffith-Powell, ENP L.R. Kimball

13.00 Lunch On-the-RunBoxed lunches will be available outside the Ballroom. Please help yourself, and feel free to take your lunch with you or enjoy it in the ballroom.

continued overleaf...


13.30 Hill VisitsThe centerpiece of 9-1-1 Goes to Washington, Hill visits are your chance to interact direct-ly with the representatives and staff members who make and influence federal telecommu-nications policy. For more information about how to ensure a successful, impactful meeting on Capitol Hill, turn to the briefing section en-titled On The Hill. Should you require assistance during your time on the Hill, please call Trey Forgety at 865.591.8194.

18.00 11th Annual 9-1-1 Honors GalaJoin us to honor members of the Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus and other government leaders for their contributions to 9-1-1 policy over the past year.

The Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus was formed as the E9-1-1 Caucus in 2003 to advance 9-1-1 is-sues on Capitol Hill. For a list of Caucus legis-lative successes, turn to the section entitled The Caucus. With each annual edition of 9-1-1 Goes to Washington, we work to grow the Caucus to ensure sustainability of our legislative agenda.

Your 9-1-1 Goes to Washington packet in-cludes materials from the NG9-1-1 Institute, includ-ing caucus sign-up forms. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to explain the Caucus to the members and staff with whom you meet, and ask them to be-come members this year!


Using MetroA Metro Rail system map can be found on page 40 of this briefing book. Your package includes fare cards valid for two round-trip fares to the Capitol South station. To enter or exit, insert your card in the slot on the front of the fare gate, and pull it out of the slot on top.

Getting to the Hill(Fast Route) From our hotel, take the Yellow line train bound for Mt. Vernon Sq./7th St./Convention Center, and change at L’Enfant Plaza for a Blue Line train bound for Largo Town Center, or an Orange Line train bound for New Carrollton. Exit at the Capitol South station. (No Transfer Route) From our hotel, take a Blue Line train bound for Largo Town Center and exit at the Capitol South station.

Getting to the GalaThe Honors Gala will be held in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The room numbers are B338-40. For information on the Capitol Complex, see page 41.


3/13/2014 WE, THE PIZZA, Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast, Washington, DC - Google Maps

https://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=WE,+THE+PIZZA,+Pennsylvania+Avenue+Southeast,+Washington,+DC&aq=0&oq=W… 1/1

WE, THE PIZZA, Pennsylvania AvenueSoutheast, Washington, DC

A. WE, THE PIZZA305 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC (202) 544-4008

3.8 160 reviews $

jpreliminariesAgenda[wednesday]

9.00 Hill Visits (Continued)If you have questions or need assistance with directions or other information, please call Trey Forgety at 865.591.8194.

09.30 Hometown Newspaper PhotographsAssemble the group from your congressional district, and join us at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial for a photo. We’ll send the pic-ture, along with a short article about your work at 9-1-1 Goes to Wash-ington, to the hometown newspaper you identi-fied when you registered. Our photographer will be available from 9:30 to 12:00. Look for the black umbrella with the NENA logo.

12.00 Snack BreakJoin us upstairs at Top Chef star Spike Mendelsohn’s instant institution We, the Pizza for a quick slice to keep you fueled up for those all-important con-gressional visits! ProTip: Try a hand-crafted soda!

16.00 FarewellThank you for making this year’s edition of 9-1-1 Goes to Washington another great success!

Getting ThereDetailed maps of the Capitol Complex are reprinted on page 41.

Ulysses S. Grant Memorial

We, The Pizza305 Pennsylvania Ave. SE


Laurie Flaherty is an emergency nurse with more than 20 years of clinical experience. She is a Program Ana-lyst in the Office of Emergency Medical Services at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, where she currently serves as Coordinator of the Na-tional 9-1-1 Program and Co-Manager of the U.S. DoT NG9-1-1 Initiative. Laurie received her B.S. in Nursing from Marquette University, and her M.S. in Emergency and Trauma Nursing from the University of California at San Francisco.

Mark Fletcher, ENP is the Chief Architect—World-Wide Public Safety Solutions at Avaya, Inc. Mark serves his community through NENA, EENA, and APCO committee work, and as an Avaya representative on the President’s National Security Telecommunications Ad-visory Council. A frequent podcaster and former radio host, Mark studied Business at Upsala College.

Brian Fontes joined NENA as Chief Executive Officer in 2009 following a long career in government and the private sector. He previously served as Chief of Staff to FCC Chairman James Quello, Head of Federal Rela-tions for Cingular Wireless, Vice-President of Govern-ment Relations for CTIA—The Wireless Association, and Untied States Ambassador to the World Admin-istrative Radio Conference. A native of Manteca, Cali-fornia, Brian holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Sociology, and received a Ph.D. from Michigan State University.

Trey Forgety is NENA’s Director of Government Af-fairs. He joined NENA in 2010 following a two-year Presidential Management Fellowship with the De-partment of Homeland Security. During his fellow-ship, Trey served rotations in the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and with the National

jpreliminariesSpeaker Biographies

Our SpeakersPlease take a moment to thank our expert speakers and panelists who have generously given their time to make 9-1-1 Goes to Washington, the premier event on public safety policy.

Speaker Biographies[Alpha]



The FCCEstablished by the Communications Act of 1934, the Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency with responsibility for the regulation of communications by wire or radio. The work of the Commission’s staff is directed by the Chairman, who is appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent (i.e., confirmation) of the Senate.The Commission is currently organized into 7 bureaux and 11 offices. The bureaux are responsible for the substantive, external work of the Commission. They are: Consumer & Governmental Affairs, Enforcement, International, Media, Public Safety & Homeland Security, Wireless Telecommunications, and Wireline Competition.The offices handle the day-to-day tasks of conducting the Commission’s business, and provide expert advice and counsel to the Commissioners. They are: Administrative Law Judges, Communications Business Opportunities, Engineering & Technology, General Counsel, Inspector General, Managing Director, Media Relations, Secretary, Strategic Planning & Policy, Workplace Diversity.The Commission has been consistently recognized as one of the best federal agencies to work for in annual surveys of federal employees.

Telecommunications and Information Administration. Trey holds a B.S. in Applied Physics and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee.

David Furth is Deputy Bureau Chief in the Public Safe-ty and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Com-munications Commission. David joined the FCC in 1992 in the Private Radio Bureau, acted as a legal advi-sor to Commissioner Rachelle Chong in 1995, and held multiple position in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau from 1994 to 2006. Prior to joining the Com-mission, he was engaged in the private practice of law. David received his B.A. from Harvard University and J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Sherri Griffith-Powell, ENP has more than 17 years of experience in 9-1-1. She worked for the Texas Com-mission on State Emergency Communications doing Public Education, Training, Wireless Phase I & II de-ployments, and VoIP deployments. Sherri worked for Vonage, HBF and Intrado prior to joining L.R. Kimball as a public safety consultant. Sherri currently chairs the NENA NG9-1-1 Public Education & Training work-ing group and the CSRIC IV Working Group on PSAP Requests for Interim SMS Text-to-9-1-1.

Lise Hamlin is Director of Public Policy at the Hearing Loss Association of America. Lise joined the HLAA national staff in 2008, after serving with the League for the Hard of Hearing and the Northern Virginia Re-source Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons. She represents HLAA before the FCC, and takes an active role in numerous organizations advocating on behalf of deaf or hard of hearing persons.


Roger Hixson, enp is the Technical Issues Director at NENA. He coordinates NENA’s technical develop-ment process, and is closely involved in many of NE-NA’s initiatives including wireless E 9-1-1, Internet Pro-tocol technical and strategy issues, and the NG9 -1-1 Project plan. He previously implemented E9-1-1 sys-tems in more than 35 major Counties in Ohio, Michi-gan and Indiana. Roger has chaired numerous 9-1-1 advancement efforts, at the state, national, and corpo-rate levels. Roger holds a Systems Engineering degree.

Cheryl King is Associate Chief of the Disability Rights Office of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. She joined the FCC in 1997 and moved to the Dis-ability Rights Office in 2002. Between 1975 and 1997, Ms. King worked for several United States Senators (Vance Hartke (IN), William Hathaway (ME), Birch Bayh (IN) and David Boren (OK), and was Legislative Director for Representative Cardiss Collins (IL). She received a B.S. from Purdue University and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America.

Rebecca Ladew is the East Coast Liaison at Speech Communications Assistance by Telephone, Inc. where she also serves on the National TRS Advisory Council and the (Maryland) Governor’s Advisory Council for Telecommunications Relay Service. Rebecca attended Towson University.

Nicole McGinnis is a Deputy Division Chief in the Pol-icy & Licensing Division of the FCC’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau. She has over ten years of experience at the Federal Communications Commis-sion in different capacities, including serving as Dep-uty Chief in the Consumer & Governmental Affairs




Bureau and Front Office legal advisor in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Nicole began her career at the law firm of Wiley Rein. She received an A.B. from Dartmouth College, and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Timothy May is a policy analyst in the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Commu-nications Commission, a position he has held since 2007. Previously, Mr. May was a policy analyst in the Media Bureau’s Industry Analysis Division. He also worked in the Policy Division of the Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, AT&T Wireless affiliate TeleCorp PCS, Omnipoint Communications, and Free-dom Technologies. Tim holds a B.A. from Boston Uni-versity and an M.A. from The Johns Hopkins University.

Ajit Pai was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama to fill a va-cant Republican seat. He previously served in the Anti-Trust Division of the United States Department of Jus-tice and with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Jenner & Block. Before becoming a Commissioner, Pai also served in several positions in the FCC’s Office of Gen-eral Counsel. A New Yorker by birth, Commissioner Pai grew up in rural Parsons, Kansas before earning a B.A. from Harvard University, and a J.D. from the Univer-sity of Chicago.

Andrew Phillips is an Attorney at the National Asso-ciation of the Deaf. He previously served as a law clerk at the firm of Fenwick & West, LLP, and at the Dis-ability Rights Legal Center in Los Angeles, California. Andrew also served as an intern for U.S. Senatory Bar-bara Boxer. He earned a B.A. from Gallaudet University and a J.D. from the University of California.


Richard Reed is the Director of State Plans for First-Net. He previously served as Director of Technical As-sistance for the DHS Office of Emergency Communi-cations Multi-Jurisdictional Communications Services Branch. In the middle 1990’s, Richard also served as Ra-dio Lead for the White House Communications Agen-cy and as an Intelligence Analyst with the Office of Na-val Intelligence. He holds a B.S. in Management from National-Louis University.

Cheri-Lynn Rockwell, ENP is the 9-1-1 County Coor-dinator at Butte County Communications in northen California. She was elected 2nd Vice-President of NENA in 2013. She has extensive experience in the 9-1-1 space, having served more than 14 years as Telecommunica-tions Coordinator for Butte County before assuming her present role.

Susan Sherwood is the Verizon Wireless Manager of E911 Services. She has over 14 years experience in pub-lic safety and location services. She has served in many public safety standards and FCC advisory groups. In addition, Susan served as Chair of the NENA Wireless and PSAP Operations Committees for seven years and has been Co-Chair of the ATIS Emergency Service In-terconnection Forum (ESIF), Emergency Services Mes-saging Committee for the last six years.

David Simpson (RADM USN-Ret.) was appointed Chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau in November 2013. As Bureau Chief, he oversees public safety, home-land security, emergency management, cybersecurity, and disaster preparedness activities at the FCC. Ad-miral Simpson is a native of Burbank, California and a 1982 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He




earned a master’s degree in systems technology from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Christian Vogler is Director of the Technology Access Program at Gallaudet University. He has extensive ex-perience teaching and researching advanced accessibility systems like machine vision and sign language recogni-tion, with an emphasis on telecommunications technol-ogy. Dr. Vogler earned a Vordiplom from the Univer-sität Hamburg and both an M.S. and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Christy Williams, ENP is 1st Vice-President of NENA’s Executive Board. Christy has been in the 9-1-1 indus-try for more than twenty years, and previously held the positions of Operation/Communications Specialist and Public Education/Training Coordinator. She is current-ly the Chief 9-1-1 Program Officer for the North Cen-tral Texas Council of Governments. Christy holds a B.A. in Mass Communication and Psychology from Texas Wesleyan University.

Dana Zelman is an Attorney Advisor in the FCC’s Pub-lic Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Her practice focuses on the NG9-1-1 transition, spectrum efficiency and licensing, internet telephony regulation, and E9-1-1 location accuracy. Dana earned dual B.A.s in Public Management and Spanish and a J.D., all from the Uni-versity of Georgia.


The Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus was formed in 2003 to educate lawmakers, constituents and commu-nities about the importance of citizen-activated emer-gency response systems. In each chamber one member of each party shares responsibility for the Caucus’s ac-tivities by serving as Co-Chair. The members and co-chairs are identified at right.

The NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus works to improve 9-1-1 and emergency response systems in the United States and to promote government policies that will ensure: •continued reliability of 9-1-1 as the universal emer-gency number over legacy and future communications services and applications; •a coordinated transition to broadband-enabled, IP-based Next Generation 9-1-1 and emergency communications systems; •that 9-1-1 is recognized as an integral component of our nation’s homeland security; •aggressive and effective oversight of federal agencies responsible for 9-1-1 and emergency communications; •effective education of the public on the appropriate use of 9-1-1; •proper funding for 9-1-1 systems, networks, operations, and training; •effective and direct access to emergency response systems for persons with disabilities; and •improved coordination and information sharing across jurisdictional boundar-ies and among emergency response personnel and or-ganizations at all levels of government.

Our outreach efforts on Capitol Hill are aimed at growing the Caucus and supporting its agenda. Ma-jor initiatives for 2014 include introduction of NENA’s proposed MLTS bill and a change to the funding wa-terfall in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.

113th Congress9-1-1 in Congress

What’s in a Name?Prior to the 112th Congress, the Caucus operated as “The E9-1-1 Caucus.” In 2011, at the prompting of several members, the Caucus officially changed its name to “The Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus.”The new name was chosen to better reflect the current state of development in 9-1-1 services and to underscore the importance of the coming transition to NG9-1-1.Later, the Board of Directors of the E9-1-1 Institute voted to officially change the name of the Institute to mirror the change by the Caucus. Jointly founded by NENA, NASNA, and APCO, the Institute supports the work of the Caucus by educating members of Congress and their staff on issues facing the 9-1-1 community.

9-1-1 In Congress


Size MattersThe Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus represents 11% of the voting membership in the House and 10% in the Senate. In order to be effective in Congress, it is important that the Caucus grow to represent a sizeable fraction of the total membership in both chambers. The best way to sign-up new members is to ask: Members join caucuses based on what their constituents are interested in, so make sure to tell your representatives that you would love to see them join the Caucus!

Caucus Membership

RepresentativesMarsha Blackburn (R-TN) Jo Bonner (R-AL)Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU) Vern Buchanan (R-FL) Michael Burgess (R-TX) Howard Coble (R-NC) Jim Cooper (D-TN) Joe Courtney (D-CT)Kevin Cramer (R-ND)Peter DeFazio (D-OR) Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) Eliot Engel (D-NY) Anna Eshoo (D-CA) Cory Gardner (R-CO)Kay Granger (R-TX) Gene Green (D-TX)Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) Alcee Hastings (D-FL)Mike Honda (D-CA)Darrell Issa (R-CA) Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) Walter Jones (R-NC) Ron Kind (D-WI)Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) Rick Larsen (D-WA) John B. Larson (D-CT)Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)Doris Matsui (D-CA) Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) James McGovern (D-MA) Patrick HcHenry (R-NC) Mike McIntyre (D-NC) George Miller (D-CA) Jeff Miller (R-FL) Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) David Price (D-NC) Nick Rahall (D-WV) Mike Rogers (R-AL) Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)Aaron Schock (R-IL) John Shimkus (R-IL) Louise Slaughter (D-NY)

Lee Terry (R-NE) Mike Thompson (D-CA)Patrick J.Tiberi (R-OH) Henry Waxman (D-CA) Peter Welch (D-VT)

SenatorsBarbara Boxer (D-CA) Richard Burr (R-NC) Richard Durbin (R-IL)Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Kay Hagan (D-NC)Heidi Heitkamp (R-ND) John Hoeven (R-ND) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Patty Murray (D-WA)

Co-Chairs

113th CongressCaucus Membership


•ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004Establishes the National 9-1-1 Implementation Coor-dination Office.

•NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008Contains provisions to facilitate the rapid deployment of IP-enabled 9-1-1 and improve 9-1-1 access for indi-viduals with disabilities.

•2008 “Farm Bill”Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to make loans to improve 9-1-1 access for entities eligible to borrow from the Rural Utilities Service.

•Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007Made available $43.5 million for 9-1-1 center grants and clarifies that funds provided through the State Home-land Security Grant Program can be utilized for sup-porting PSAPs.

•National 911 Education Month ResolutionS. Res. 468 and H. Res. 537 established April 2008 as National 9-1-1 Education Month.

•Next Generation 9‑1‑1 Advancement Act of 2012Requires reports to Congress by the FCC (Legal and Regulatory Framework for NG9-1-1 Deployment), the GAO (Sources, Amounts, and Uses of 9-1-1 Fees), and the National Office (Costs of Deploying NG9-1-1). Requires the FCC to study the feasibility of requiring E9-1-1 ca-pabilities in MLTS. Authorizes the creation of a PSAP Do-Not-Call Registry applicable to autodialers. Autho-rizes and makes available without appropriation up to $115 Million in spectrum auction proceeds for the im-provement of 9-1-1 systems.

113th CongressPrevious Successes

Citing the LawAt the state level—and frequently at the Federal level—we hear laws referred to by their code section: the title, chapter, and section at which the law’s provisions were codified and published.The United States Code, however, is re-codified only once every six years, and some laws, such as appropriations statutes, are never fully codified. To locate these laws, it’s important to refer to them using their session law numbers.Session law numbers, taking the form “Pub. Law No. ###-###,” identify the Congress and the order in which a given statute was passed.Most importantly, staffers on the Hill usually draft amendatory statutes by referring to the session laws, not to the U.S. Code. It’s therefore important to always cite the session laws when dealing with the Hill.

Previous Successes


Current StatusYou may be asked the current status of the Bill. At this time, it is a DISCUSSION DRAFT ONLY. We have not yet sought original sponsors or co-sponsors. We do not anticipate seeking original sponsors until the members of the Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus have had a full opportunity to review and comment on the Bill.

Proposed LegislationThe MLTS bill

[DISCUSSION DRAFT]H.R. _____

To ensure effective access to 9-1-1 emergency response services through Multi-Line Telephone Systems, to enhance public safety by ensuring that telephone systems can relay accurate location information for 9-1-1 callers in hotels, dormitories, businesses, and other places frequented by the public, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

M___. ________________ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy

and Commerce.

A BILLTo ensure effective access to 9-1-1 emergency response

services through Multi-Line Telephone Systems, to enhance public safety by ensuring that telephone systems can relay accurate location information for 9-1-1 callers in hotels, dormitories, businesses, and other places frequented by the public, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-tives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled,

113th CongressProposed Legislation


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title.—This Act may be cited as the “9-1-1 Public Safety Access, Location, and Identifica-tion Act of 2014” or the “9-1-1 PS-ALI Act.”

(b) Table of Contents.-The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Section 1. Short Title; Table of ContentsSection 2. Findings and PurposeSection 3. DefinitionsSection 4. PreemptionSection 5. Requirements for MLTS Manufacturers

and Service ProvidersSection 6. Requirements for MLTS ManagersSection 7. Local Termination Prohibited—ExceptionsSection 8. EnforcementSection 9. Limitation on Liability

SECTION 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE

(a) Findings.—The Congress finds and declares that—

(1)Effective access to 9-1-1 service in businesses, dormitories, multi-tenant dwellings, hotels, and oth-er temporary lodgings is essential to the safety of life and property throughout the United States.

(2)Consumers traveling for business or leisure of-ten frequent hotels and other temporary lodgings served by Multi-Line Telephone Systems, and are generally unaware of system limitations that can pre-vent direct access to 9-1-1 or hinder the ability of re-sponders to locate callers.

(3)Many employers operate Multi-Line Tele-phone Systems whose service footprint may extend


CitationsOnce passed, even as part of a larger legislative vehicle, an Act is referred to using its “Short Title.” This saves significant space and time, and provides a friendly name to use in informal conversation.


across state lines and service multiple locations or campuses, and employees often do not realize that 9-1-1 calls from these facilities could be routed to the wrong Public Safety Answering Point, or intercept-ed before ever reaching authorized local response agencies.

(4)Maintaining a nationally-interconnected sys-tem of voice telephony is vital to the functioning of our economy.

(5)Multi-Line Telephone Systems are manufac-tured and sold in interstate commerce.

(6)Multi-Line Telephone systems, by virtue of their interconnection with the Public-Switched Telephone Network and other networks are neces-sarily amenable to use in interstate commerce, and are actually used in interstate commerce.

(7)Establishing requirements for the manufac-ture, importation, sale, installation, configuration, and maintenance of Multi-Line Telephone Systems and providing liability protection for manufacturers, service providers, and system managers is an appro-priate subject for Federal legislation because—

(A)of the natural scope of the problems cre-ated by the manufacture, importation, and sale of unsafe Multi-Line Telephone Systems that can-not provide effective access to 9-1-1;

(B)of the natural scope of the problems creat-ed by the improper installation, configuration, or maintenance of Multi-Line Telephone Systems in unsafe manners;

(C)the citizens of the United States depend upon, and the Federal Government expends funds on, the Multi-Line Telephone Systems and associated services;



(D)a uniform means of access to emergen-cy services facilitates the exercise and protec-tion of citizens’ rights under the United States Constitution;

(E)it is in the interest of the Federal Govern-ment to encourage the continued availability of and effective access to a universal emergency tele-phone number because such availability and ef-fective access saves lives, protects property, and promotes the healthy functioning of the national economy;

(F)imposing requirements and offering liabil-ity protection will promote the free flow of gods and services, lessen burdens on interstate com-merce, and uphold constitutionally-protected due process rights;

(G)the imposition of these requirements and establishment of certain liability protections is an appropriate use of the powers contained in article I, section 8, clause 3 of the United States Con-stitution, and the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution.

(b) Purpose.—The purpose of this Act is to en-sure effective access to 9-1-1 emergency response ser-vices through Multi-Line Telephone Systems, to en-hance public safety by ensuring that telephone systems can relay accurate location information for 9-1-1 call-ers in hotels, dormitories, businesses, and other places frequented by the public, and to provide liability pro-tection to manufacturers, service providers, and system owners who take required steps to ensures such access and enhancements.



SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.As used in this Act, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) Automatic Location Identification (“ALI”).—The term “automatic location identification” means an automatic display at a Public Safety Answer-ing Point of call-associated data including:

(1)telephone number of the calling party;(2)address and location of the telephone from

which the call was placed; and(3)supplementary emergency services information

about that location.(b) Automatic Number Identification

(“ANI”).—The term “Automatic Number Identification” means a process for retrieving and displaying a routable and dialable North American Numbering Plan tele-phone number, associated with the access line or trunk from which a call originates, or the number that can be retrieved and displayed using that process. ANI does not include user-configurable data such as “Caller ID.”

(c) Building Unit Identifier (“BUI”).—The term “Building Unit Identifier” means a room number or sim-ilar designation of a portion of a structure or building.

(d) Call Back Number.—The term “Call Back Number” means a number, which may or may not be a direct-dial number for a station used to originate a 9-1-1 call, used by a PSAP to re-contact a location from which a 9-1-1 call was placed.

(e) Covered MLTS.—The term “Covered MLTS” means a multi-line telephone system or MLTS service manufactured, imported, offered for first sale, or first sold more than two years after the date of enactment of this Act.



(f ) Emergency Location Identification Num-ber (“ELIN”).—The term “Emergency Location Iden-tification Number” means a valid, routable, and dial-able telephone number in North American Numbering Plan format, assigned to an MLTS operator by an ap-propriate authority, that can be used to route a call to a PSAP and to retrieve the ALI record for the location from which that call originates. For purposes of this definition, an ELIN may be the same telephone num-ber as a related station ANI.

(g) Emergency Response Location(“ERL”).—The term “Emergency Response Location” means a lo-cation associated with one or more ANIs established to provide a specific destination and search area for field responders.

(h) Grandfathered MLTS.—The term “Grandfa-thered MLTS” means an MLTS or MLTS service man-ufactured, imported, offered for sale or use, and sold, in-stalled, and used prior to the date of enactment of this Act but which continues in use more than six years after the date of enactment of this Act.

(i) Internet Service Provider (“ISP”).—The term “Internet Service Provider” means a company that pro-vides Internet access to other companies or individuals.

(j) Key Telephone System.—The term “Key Tele-phone System” means a type of MLTS designed to pro-vide shared access to several outside lines through but-tons, or keys, typically offering identified access lines with direct line appearance or termination on a given telephone set.

(k) Local Termination.—The term “Local Ter-mination” means the interception of 9-1-1 calls within an MLTS and their diversion to a station, system, or



alternative point of termination other than the Public Safety Answering Point that would ordinarily handle a 9-1-1 call placed by a telephone subscriber at each loca-tion from which a user can place calls from a particu-lar MLTS.

(l) Multi-Line Telephone System (“MLTS”). – The term “Multi-line Telephone System” means a sys-tem comprised of common control unit(s), telephone sets, control hardware and software, and adjunct sys-tems which enables users to make and receive telephone calls using shared resources such as telephone network trunks or data link bandwidth. This term includes, but is not limited to: network-based and premises-based systems such as Centrex service; premises-based, host-ed, and cloud-based VoIP; as well as PBX, Hybrid, and Key Telephone Systems (as classified by the FCC under Part 68 of its current rules or any successor rules); and

(m) Multi-Line Telephone System Manag-er.—The term “Multi-line Telephone System Manag-er” means any entity that implements an MLTS, either through purchase or lease of an MLTS or by contract-ing for MLTS services such as Centrex, Hosted MLTS, Hosted VoIP, or similar services.

(n) Master Street Address Guide (“MSAG”).—The term “Master Street Address Guide” means a data-base of street names and number ranges within one or more communities defining Emergency Services Zones (“ESZs”) and associating those ESZs with Emergency Services Numbers (“ESNs”) to enable proper routing of 9-1-1 calls.

(o) On-Site Notification.—The term “On-Site Notification” means an MLTS feature that can auto-matically alert a designated emergency station on the



premises from which a 9-1-1 call is originated that 9-1-1 has been dialed from the MLTS and of the ERL of the station from which a call that triggered the noti-fication was originated, or of a more granular BUI if that information was not included in the location in-formation pre-provisioned for that station or transmit-ted with the call.

(p) Public Safety Answering Point (“PSAP”).—The term “Public Safety Answering Point” means a system of hardware, software, telecommunications or information-service connections, and call takers that—

(1)are authorized by a governing body and oper-ate under common management to receive 9-1-1 calls and asynchronous event notifications for a defined geographic area; and

(2)processes those calls and events according to a specified operational policy to enable and facilitate the provisioning of emergency response services such as law enforcement, fire service, and emergency med-ical service to consumers, businesses, properties, and other public agencies.(q) Shared Residential MLTS Service.—The

term “Shared Residential MLTS Service” means the use of one or more MLTS or MLTS service(s) to provide telephone service to residential facilities, including but not limited to single family and multi-family dwellings, even if the service is not individually billed.

(r) Temporary Residence MLTS.—The term “Temporary Residence MLTS” means the use of MLTS or MLTS service to provide telephone service to occu-pants of temporary or transient dwellings, including but not limited to dormitories, hotels, motels, health care facilities, and nursing homes, or other similar facilities.



(s) Transition Period.—The term “Transition Pe-riod” means the period of time between the date of en-actment of this Act and the date on which the terms of the Act become applicable to a particular MLTS.

(t) Shared Telecommunications Services.—The term “Shared Telecommunications Services” means the provision of telecommunications and information man-agement services and equipment within a user group lo-cated in discrete private premises in building complexes, campuses, or highrise buildings, by a commercial shared services provider or by a user association, through pri-vately owned customer premises equipment and asso-ciated data processing and information management services, and includes the provisioning of connections to the facilities of a local exchange carrier or an inter-exchange carrier.

(u) Workspace.—The term “workspace” means the physical building area where work is normally per-formed, measured by net square footage, including of-fices; production, warehouse, and shop floors; storage areas; hallways; conference rooms; restrooms; break rooms; and other common areas. “Workspace” does not include wall thicknesses, shafts, heating/ventilating/air conditioning equipment spaces, mechanical/electrical spaces, or similar areas to which employees do not nor-mally have access.

(v) 9-1-1 Service Provider.—The term “9-1-1 Ser-vice Provider” means an entity providing one or more of the following 9-1-1 service sys-tem elements: network connectivity, PSAP customer premises equipment, or database management service.



SECTION 4. PREEMPTIONThis Act preempts the laws of any State to the extent that such laws are inconsistent with this Act, except that this Act shall not preempt any state law that provides additional protection from liability for an MLTS man-ufacturer, MLTS service provider, or MLTS Manager who complies with the requirements of this Act.

SECTION 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR MLTS MANUFACTURERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERSAll Covered MLTS shall, at a minimum, provide feature support for each of the following mandatory capabilities:

(a) Direct Access to 9-1-1.—A Covered MLTS shall allow, as a default setting, any station equipped with dialing facilities to directly initiate a 9-1-1 call without requiring a user to dial any other, further, or ad-ditional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including trunk-access codes such as “9”. When a Covered MLTS is capable of being configured to require some additional act such as the dialing of a code, prefix, or trunk-access code prior to originating a call on the Public-Switched Telephone Network in normal operation, it must con-tinue to recognize and handle, as required in this Act, all calls to 9-1-1, whether or not the code, prefix, or trunk-access code is dialed.

(b) Location Provisioning.—A Covered MLTS shall provide adequate location determination capabili-ties to permit field responders such as law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and emergency medical techni-cians to locate, within a reasonable search area, the sta-tion from which a 9-1-1 call has been placed by sup-porting the assignment of a unique ELIN and ERL to each station equipped with dialing facilities, and by



supporting any industry-standard signaling protocol designed to provide ANI and ALI information to an E9-1-1 or NG9-1-1 system.

(c) On-Site Notification.—A Covered MLTS shall provide feature support for On-Site Notification.

(d) Local Termination Restriction.—All Cov-ered MLTS capable of being configured to divert 9-1-1 calls to an internal or external point of termination oth-er than the local Public Safety Answering Point that would otherwise service a telephone subscriber at the location of any MLTS station that initiates a 9-1-1 call shall require, as mandatory precursor to activating such a function, that an MLTS Manager affirmatively ac-knowledge that the MLTS Manager understands the requirements of this Section, and that the MLTS Man-ager authorizing the activation of that feature will be responsible for complying with those requirements. The system shall log the date and time of such acknowl-edgements and the username or other unique identi-fier associated with the MLTS Manager who activated the feature and made the required acknowledgement and agreement, or that of such other user who did so on behalf of and with the authorization of the MLTS Manager.

SECTION 6. REQUIREMENTS FOR MLTS MANAGERS Every person, government agency, or instrumentality of government shall ensure that all MLTS for which that person, agency, or instrumentality is an MLTS Manager meets each of the following requirements.

(a) Direct Access to 9-1-1.—In general, every MLTS shall be installed, configured, and maintained to provide direct access to 9-1-1.



(1)All Covered MLTS and Grandfathered MLTS must be installed, configured, and maintained, to provide direct access to 9-1-1 from all handsets and other stations equipped with dialing facilities with-out requiring a user to dial any other, further, or addi-tional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including trunk-access codes such as “9”.

(2)During the Transition Period, an MLTS Man-ager responsible for an MLTS that is not installed, configured, or maintained to provide direct access to 9-1-1 shall give notice to all users or potential us-ers of each MLTS for which the MLTS Manager is responsible by:

(A)notifying regular users such as employees of the limitations on 9-1-1 calling by requiring them, on an annual basis, to sign a document, written in a language they can read, that explains that direct access to 9-1-1 is not available from the MLTS;

(B)placing on each station a label that explains, in type of at least 14 points size, how 9-1-1 can be reached, and that conspicuously lists the complete dial-string required to reach 9-1-1 in red type of at least 36 points size; and

(C)notifying temporary occupants such as hotel guests of the limitations of the MLTS at check-in, and advising such occupants of the re-quired procedure for dialing 9-1-1.

(b) General Location Provisioning Obli-gations.—All Covered MLTS and Grandfathered MLTS shall be installed, configured, and maintained to provide distinct ELINs and ERLs for each station, unless permitted to elect a lesser requirement by Sub-section (c) or (d).



(c) Special Location Provisioning Obligations for Covered MLTS.—Covered MLTS that meet the definition of one of the following services may satisfy their location provisioning obligations by providing the specified level of location data:

(1)Shared Residential MLTS shall provide a unique ELIN and ERL for each living unit and com-mon area served, and may meet the requirements for Business MLTS with respect to stations in all other areas.

(2)Temporary Residence MLTS may provide a unique ELIN and ERL for each temporary residen-tial unit served, and may meet the requirements for Business MLTS with respect to stations in all other areas.

(3)Business MLTS may provide at least one ERL for each floor of each property served, and within each floor at least one additional ERL for each whole 7,000 square feet of Workspace beyond the first, plus one additional ERL for any remaining Workspace, if the MLTS is configured to also provide Alterna-tive Notification.(d) Special Location Provisioning Obligations

for Grandfathered MLTS.—Grandfathered MLTS that meet the definition of one of the following services may satisfy their location provisioning obligations by providing the specified level of location data:

(1)Shared Residential MLTS shall provide a unique ELIN and ERL for each living unit served, but may meet the requirements for Business MLTS with respect to stations in all other areas.

(2)Temporary Residence MLTS may provide either a unique ELIN and ERL for each tempo-rary residential unit (e.g., hotel or dorm room), or



facilities for automatically notifying a designated sta-tion that is continuously staffed while the facility is occupied, such as a guard post, front desk, or annun-ciator, that a 9-1-1 call has been placed and of the Building Unit Identifier from which it was placed.

(3)Business MLTS may provide at least one ERL for each floor of each property served, and within each floor at least one additional ERL for each whole 7,000 square feet of Workspace beyond the first, plus one additional ERL for any remaining Workspace, or facilities for automatically notifying a designated station that is continuously staffed while the facility is occupied, such as a guard post, front desk, or an-nunciator, that a 9-1-1 call has been placed and of the Building Unit Identifier from which it was placed.

(4)Key Telephone Systems may provide one ERL per installed line.(e) Location Information Maintenance.—An

MLTS Manager shall validate all ERLs established for stations served by the MLTS against the appropriate local MSAG, and shall provide that validated data to each local ALI database administrator within seven days of first establishing MLTS service and within one day of making changes to any previously-installed system, or by installing, configuring, and/or maintaining each Covered MLTS or Grandfathered MLTS in a jurisdic-tion served by NG9-1-1 Service to transmit station-level location information with each 9-1-1 call in accordance with applicable industry standards.

(1)Exceptions for MLTS in Areas Without E9-1-1 OR NG9-1-1.—For areas of the country in which Enhanced 9-1-1 service and NG9-1-1 service have not yet been established, the database maintenance



requirements of this section shall be tolled, with re-spect to stations in those areas only, as follows:

(A)Covered MLTS serving stations in areas with neither E9-1-1 nor NG9-1-1 service shall meet the applicable database maintenance re-quirements of this Section within six months from the time E9-1-1 or NG9-1-1 service is established.

(B)Grandfathered MLTS serving stations in areas with neither E9-1-1 nor NG9-1-1 service shall meet the applicable database maintenance requirements of this Section within six years from the time such service is first established, if that time is less than six years after the date of enact-ment of this Act.

(C)Grandfathered MLTS serving stations in areas with neither E9-1-1 service nor NG9-1-1 service shall meet the applicable database main-tenance requirements of this Section within six months from the time such service is first estab-lished, if that time is more than six years after the date of enactment of this Act.(2)Audit Requirement.—An MLTS Manager

shall, no less than once per year, verify the accuracy of all ALI data against the actual physical location of each station served by an MLTS.

SECTION 7. LOCAL TERMINATION PROHIBITED—EXCEPTIONS Except as allowed below, an MLTS Manager shall not install, configure, or maintain an MLTS to engage in Local Termination of 9-1-1 calls.

(a) When Permitted.—An MLTS Manager may configure an MLTS to locally terminate 9-1-1 calls if and only if all of the following conditions obtain during



periods in which the facility or facilities served by an MLTS are occupied:

(1)The point of termination to which an MLTS is configured to divert 9-1-1 calls is provisioned with re-dundant communications links from the MLTS, di-mensioned in accordance with telecommunications industry standards and best practices, to accommo-date call volumes and call arrival patterns that can be reasonably anticipated on the basis of an histori-cal traffic study or industry standards, if no histori-cal data is available, for the facility or facilities served by the MLTS.

(2)The point of termination to which the MLTS is configured to divert 9-1-1 calls is staffed on a con-tinuous basis with qualified personnel trained as pub-lic safety telecommunicators in accordance with or in excess of the training requirements of the local Public Safety Answering Point to which a 9-1-1 call would otherwise be delivered if not locally terminated.

(3)The point of termination to which the MLTS is configured to divert 9-1-1 calls is provisioned with a means of directly dispatching qualified emergen-cy responders including duly authorized and sworn law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and EMS units trained and equipped in accordance with the prevailing standards of the community or commu-nities within which the MLTS provides service to end users.

(4)The MLTS is configured to automatically re-route calls via the Public-Switched Telephone Net-work, using the dial-string “9-1-1”, to the local Pub-lic Safety Answering Point that would otherwise serve a station if it were operated by a local tele-phone subscriber in the event that a diverted call is



not answered within 25 seconds or the point of ter-mination cannot be reached due to network or sys-tem failure or overload.

SECTION 8. ENFORCEMENT(a) Prohibition on Importation or Sale of

Non-Compliant MLTS.—The Federal Trade Com-mission shall have the power to ban the importation or sale of MLTS which do not comply with the require-ments of this Act.

(b) Prohibition on Attachment of Non-Com-pliant Terminal Equipment.—The Federal Commu-nications Commission shall have the power to prohibit the attachment of MLTS which do not comply with the requirements of this Act to the Public-Switched Telephone Network, or to any successor network over which voice telephone calls may be carried.

(c) Administrative Procedure.—In exercising the powers delegated by this Act, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Com-mission shall proceed by informal rulemaking.

SECTION 9. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY

(a) Liability Protection for MLTS Manufac-turers, Service Providers, and MLTS Manag-ers.—No MLTS manufacturer, MLTS service provider, or MLTS Manager shall be liable for any harm arising from the use or attempted use of an MLTS to dial or connect a 9-1-1 call if—

(1)the MLTS Manufacturer, MLTS service pro-vider, or MLTS Manager complied with all applica-ble requirements of this Act by the required dates at the time the harm occurred;



(2)if appropriate or required, the manufacturer, service provider, or MLTS Manager was properly licensed, certified, or authorized by the appropriate authorities for the activities or practice in the State in which the harm occurred;

(3)the harm was not caused by willful or criminal misconduct or a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the use or attempted use of an MLTS to dial or connect a 9-1-1 call. (b) Application.—This Act applies to any claim in

law or equity, whether sounding in contract, tort, prod-ucts liability, or otherwise against an MLTS manufac-turer, service provider, or MLTS Manager where that claim is filed on or after the effective date of this Act, but only if the harm that is the subject of the claim or the conduct that caused such harm occurred after such effective date.



[notes]113th CongressProposed Legislation


Meetings on Capitol Hill are like any professional gath-ering: It’s important to be punctual and prepared. If you are delayed or have to cancel, please call ahead. It’s best to carry a cell phone and numbers of the staff with whom you are meeting. Know our talking points, be pre-pared to explain them, and treat everyone as you would want to be treated. Finally, take notes and follow up with thank you letters.

Members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers will often be very new to the issues of 9-1-1, public safety, and, in some cases, communications in general. There-fore, it’s important that you work to keep it simple. Avoid using acronyms, and try to explain 9-1-1 issues in lay terms, using real-life examples.

IntroductionIntroduce yourself and provide some background about who you are, where you live, the 9-1-1 profession, and why you came. Introduce your national associations, af-filiations. You may also want to include how long you’ve been working in 9-1-1, along with specific information about your department, agency, or organization.

Meeting StrategyTo better support our goals in Congress, it’s important to speak in respectful, supportive terms of the work Congress has done to advance the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1. It is always a good idea to lead with a simple “thank you” for a Member’s attention to 9-1-1 issues, and to tell the Member or staff how that sup-port translates into real benefits for the people of their district. For example, it’s helpful to explain how an NG9-1-1 project has reduced costs or created jobs. This provides Members with educational material they can use in their constituent communications.

on the hillSuccessful Meetings

Never Judge a BookTitles, ages, and positions on Capitol Hill can be very deceiving. It is not uncommon for a 23-year-old staffer to enjoy enormous influence over the member or committee for whom she or he works. Never assume that a younger staff member is “just an intern”: Congressional offices are small, and how you treat staffers will be noticed.

By the NumbersWhenever possible, cite concrete figures about lives and property saved, dollars invested, and jobs created in your member’s district.

Sucessful Meetings


TopicsCongress can take many actions to improve 9-1-1 service in the United States, but these are our top suggestions:

•Pass comprehensive legislation to ensure that Multi-Line Telephone Systems in hotels, dormitories, and of-fices provide direct and effective access to 9-1-1.

•Move 9-1-1 funding up the waterfall of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, on par with Pub-lic Safety Broadband. This can be accomplished without authorizing or appropriating any new money.

•Ensure parity of access so 9-1-1 centers can compete for federal grant funds on an equal basis with their law enforcement, fire, and EMS colleagues.

•Authorize NHTSA to create a national PSAP Creden-tialing Agency (also known as a “Certificate Authority”), and to deploy a national Forest Guide.

Invitation to visit a 9‑1‑1 CenterExtend an invitation for the Member and staff to vis-it your 9-1-1 center for a first-hand viewing of 9-1-1 in action next time they are back in the State or District.

Follow‑UpThank them for their time and for meeting with you, and be sure to exchange contact information! Follow up with a thank you letter, along the lines of the sample on page 42. Also, offer to keep in touch: Your goal is to be well remembered as a resource for the Member and staff whenever 9-1-1 issues arise in Congress.

on the hillSuccessful Meetings


The Metro Rail system is fast, efficient, and inexpen-sive. The Marriott Crystal Gateway is located directly above the Crystal City station. There are two routes to the Capitol: A fast route and a simple route. Fast Route: Board a Yellow Line train bound for Mt. Vernon Square / 7th Street / Convention Center or Ft. Totten, and transfer at L’Enfant Plaza for either a Blue Line train bound for Largo Town Center, or an Orange Line Train bound for New Carrollton. Exit at the Capi-tol South station.no-transfer route: Board a Blue Line train bound for Largo Town Center. Exit at the Capitol South station.

on the hillGetting Around

Did you know?Members of Congress have their own private “subways” that shuttle between the House and Senate Office Buildings and the Capitol. Three separate lines link the Russell and Hart Buildings on the Senate side, and the Rayburn building on the House side. If their chamber is not voting, members leading personal tours of the Capitol may invite constituents aboard.

Getting HomeLeaving D.C., the Crystal City station is serviced by Yellow Line trains bound for Huntington or Blue Line trains bound for Franconia/Springfield. Exit at Crystal City station.

Getting Around[Metro Map]


Capitol ArchitectureThe U.S. Capitol was largely decorated in fresco by Greek/Italian immigrant Constantino Brumidi. His Apotheosis of Washington figured prominently in the book The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown.

[capitol complex]These two views of the U.S. Capitol Complex show the locations of congressional office buildings and other points of interest. If time is available, the Main Read-ing Room of the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court Building are must-see landmarks.

on the hillGetting Around


The Honorable Mark PryorUnited States Senate255 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510

March 28th, 2014Dear Senator Pryor,

Thank you for the time your Legislative Assistant, Hank Kilgore, spent with me during 9-1-1 Goes to Washington! It was truly a pleasure to meet with Hank, and discuss the many issues that face our 9-1-1 centers in Arkansas.

As a 9-1-1 professional, it is important for me to share with you the critical importance of the role our 9-1-1 centers play in communities large and small. Maintain-ing the availability and effectiveness of our nation’s 9-1-1 system in a world of modern communications systems is a challenge we all must rise to meet. Congress can play a critical role in improving 9-1-1 service for all Ar-kansans by passing new legislation to ensure that hotel guests, college students, and office workers have direct and effective access to 9-1-1. I left a discussion draft of such legislation, proposed by the National Emergency Number Association, with Hank, and I ask that you read through it and consider supporting its passage. If you have any questions about the Bill, I and many other Arkansas 9-1-1 professionals are here to help.

If you would like to tour a local 9-1-1 center in Ar-kansas, I would be happy to arrange a visit.

Sincerely,

Laura Martin Little Rock PD

at homeSample Thank-You

First ImpressionsWhen sending thank-you letters to members or staff, use your agency letterhead, if permitted. If not, chapter or personal letterhead should be used so that your contact information is again made available to staff.

Proper AddressAlways use a member’s full name when addressing a thank-you letter.When sending correspondence to congressional offices, always check the member’s website to ensure you are using the correct salutation and mailing address. In general members of the House of Representative should be addressed as “Representative” and members of the Senate should be addressed as “Senator.”Non-voting members of the House from federal districts or incorporated territories of the United States, such as the District of Columbia and Guam, should be addressed as “Delegate,” while others, such as members from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should be addressed as “Commissioner.” Always verify the correct form of address before finalizing your correspondence.

In ClosingClose your letter with your full name and title.

Sample Thank-You


Being VisibleTo advance your interests on Capitol Hill, it’s critically important that you provide frequent reminders of the role your profession pays in your community.

Be a Resource

9-1-1 Goes to Washington lasts only three days, but Congress meets year-round! To keep your members in-formed and ensure that critical emergency communica-tions needs are met, it is absolutely imperative that you continue your work after leaving Washington. Here are some ways you can carry forward the momentum you’ve helped to build this week:

•Send thank you letters to everyone with whom you met.

•Extend an invitation for Members of Congress and their staff to visit your PSAP or communications cen-ter during a Congressional recess.

•Offer to host a local 9-1-1 meeting in your Congressio-nal District, region, or state to demonstrate capabilities and needs.

•Collaborate with other organizations that support 9-1-1 in your state, such as interest groups, industry and pub-lic safety trade associations, and consumer advocacy organizations.

•Work with media and national organizations to ad-vance local, state, and national 9-1-1 issues.

•Communicate and get more involved with national as-sociations about your local, state, and national legisla-tive and regulatory issues.

•Join NENA’s Government Affairs Committee or Pri-vate Sector Government Affairs Advisory Group and provide your own input on comments to be filed with the FCC and other federal agencies, and to legislation or letters of support NENA may consider.

at homeBe a Resource


The Honorable Gregory Walden2182 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515

March 28th, 2014

Dear Congressman Walden,Our nation’s 9-1-1 emergency calling systems are

the citizen’s link to emergency service. Whether it is an every-day crisis, natural disaster or terrorist attack, improving our 9-1-1 systems must be a national prior-ity. In 2003, the Congressional Next-Gen 9-1-1 Cau-cus was formed to elevate the visibility of 9-1-1 at the Federal level, a welcome development to thousands of public safety officials and first responders throughout Oregon and the country. The Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus is the only bi-partisan, bi-cameral organi-zation dedicated exclusively to 9-1-1 emergency com-munications issues. Its purpose is to educate lawmakers, constituents, and communities about the importance of citizen-activated emergency response systems.

I am writing to urge you to join the Congressional Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus and co-chairs – Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Representative John Shim-kus (R-IL) - in raising awareness of the importance of E9-1-1 and Next Generation 9-1-1 systems. A call for help is more likely to originate from a citizen using a personal communication device than any other mecha-nism. Therefore, it is imperative that our 9-1-1 systems be on the cutting edge of technology, adequately fund-ed, and considered a fundamental communications and homeland security priority. Today, we are in the midst of an important period in the evolution of 9-1-1 and emer-gency communications as we transition from our current

at homeExpand the Caucus

Follow-Up MattersThe wheels grind slowly in Congress, and one or two contacts may not be enough to get what you want. Effective advocacy means working for the long-tem goals. That’s why it’s important that you continue to urge your representatives to join the NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus even after you leave behind the sign-up form in your registration packet. A few weeks after leaving Washington, (and after sending your thank-you letters) you should send each of your representatives (regardless of whether you met with them or not) a new invitation to join the Caucus. Remember the tips that accompanied the sample thank-you letter: they all apply equally here.

Senate ContactsThis letter is written to a member of the House. For a Senate-focused letter, cite co-chairs Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).

Expand the Caucus


Senate ContactsThis letter is written to a House member. For letters to Senators, use the following contact information:Tim Molino, in the office of Senator Klobuchar, at 202.228.2186 or Myriah Jordan, in the office of Senator Burr, at 202.224.3154;.

system based on the technology of the 20th century to the next generation system enabled by the communi-cations and information age of the 21st century. How-ever, to truly enable Next Generation 9-1-1 emergency communications systems requires strong government leadership to address numerous policy, funding, tech-nology, and education issues. The Congressional Next-Gen 9-1-1 Caucus is leading the charge on these issues.

There are many pressing issues that the 113th Con-gress needs to address to preserve and enhance the na-tion’s 9-1-1 systems, like ensuring that all hotel guests, college students, and office workers can directly and ef-fectively access 9-1-1 from Multi-Line Telephone Sys-tems. I hope you will consider joining the Congres-sional Next-Gen 9 -1-1 Caucus. For more information about the Caucus, please contact: David Grossman, in the office of Representative Eshoo, at 202.225.8104; or Greta Joynes, in the office of Representative Shimkus at 202.225.5271.

On behalf of our local 9-1-1 centers, thank you in ad-vance for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Mark Spross

at homeExpand the Caucus


Notes at homeNotes


at homeNotes

Our GraciousSponsors

An Airbus Defense & Space Holdings, Inc. Company

Sustaining 9-1-1 GTWThis week’s events are made possible by the generous support of these sponsors. Their contributions defray the costs of room rental, audiovisual services, and meals to ensure that 9-1-1 Goes to Washington remains an affordable, first-class event for out-of-town members and guests.As you see representatives of these organizations, please take a moment to thank them for their support of 9-1-1 Goes to Washington!

our sponsorsGenerous Supporters

2014 briefing book...2014 briefing book - 3 thank you for joining us for the 2014 edition of 9-1-1...

Documents