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FINDThe FCC adopted a Report and Order on August 1, 2019. These regulations, which provide rules for Kari's Law and Ray Baum's Act, may be more stringent than the current Colorado E911 legislation.
However, if your state's regulations are more rigid than federal legislation, the state law then takes precedence. In essence, always aim to comply with the more precise regulations. Look out for our coming blog, where we will be outlining exactly what the FCC Report and Order means for businesses.
Countdown to Federal E911 Legislation…
Are you prepared for when the new federal E911 legislation goes into effect this September? We will be discussing a different state every Thursday, so you can get the most up-to-date E911 information about your state's requirements, what this means for you, and what you can do to become compliant. This week we are highlighting the state where "Fresh Air and Fond Memories are Served Daily", Colorado.
Colorado requires...
Enterprise Communications Server operators shall provide written information to their end-users describing the proper method of dialing 911, when dialing an additional digit prefix is required. ECS operators that do not give the ANI, the ALI, or both shall disclose this in writing to their end-users and instruct them to provide their telephone number and exact location when calling 9-1-1. Sec. 1. 29-11-100.5, Colorado Revised Statutes
All states require…
Kari's Law was enacted in February 2018, and requires that all phones must be able to directly dial 9-1-1 without any additional digit, prefix, or trunk-access code beforehand, such as ‘9'. Also, the system from which 9-1-1 is dialed must provide a notification to a central location at the facility where the system is installed alerting another person or organization to the existence of an emergency call.
What this means for you and your business...
Kari's Law invalidates the portion of Colorado's legislation that requires businesses to describe the proper method of dialing 9-1-1, as all phones, nationwide, must be able to directly dial 9-1-1 without additional prefix. Additionally, the Colorado legislation acts as a way to protect citizens, and establish awareness. The law requires a business to disclose whether or not they provide the PSAP with emergency location data, which would be automated by an E911 solution.
If not, businesses are required to provide instruction on how the caller should provide both their phone number and exact location to the dispatcher. At RedSky, we believe this is a good start. However, vague legislation becomes exceedingly problematic when the caller cannot speak, or if they are unaware of their exact location. This will change come September, though, when new federal legislation will drive Colorado businesses to revisit their emergency preparedness plans, and implement an E911 solution that automatically sends critical emergency location data directly to the dispatcher at the nearest PSAP.
We cover…
RedSky works with some of the largest companies in the world, equipping them with technology to confidently grow into the future. We protect some of the largest organizations in the country. The largest insurance companies, banks, governments at local, state, and federal levels, school districts and universities, medical centers, and even airlines all trust RedSky to provide them with comprehensive E911 protection. These companies work with us because we allow them to focus on running and growing their unique organizations, while we focus on building and providing the best E911 solutions.
Are you prepared for E911? Ask your Director of IT / HR about what your plans are for this legislation, and emergency preparedness.