voip emergency

BY THE TIME THIS ISSUE HITS THE STREETS THERE COULD BE A RULE IN place requiring Internet-based phone providers to deliver emergency 911 services.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin this spring said he planned to propose such a rule, Reuters has reported.

After discussing the issue during a House subcommittee hearing, Martin told reporters he planned to offer a proposal to the other FCC commissioners so they could vote on the item in May, the news agency reported.

Last year, the FCC prohibited states from imposing traditional rules on IP-based phone providers like Vonage Holdings Corp. in a move that local regulators viewed as barring them from requiring emergency 911 services.

But the Texas Attorney general this spring sued Vonage for not prominently disclosing to consumers that its VoIP service offers a different 911 service than the PSTN.